Gingerbread House Demolished

Steph and I made a gingerbread house about a week and a half ago and slowly have eaten small pieces of it. Here's the aftermath of our gingerbread house:



Then here is a picture from us when our youth group when ice skating Friday night. Notice that I (Marc) look incredibly tall because I had ice skates on and Stephanie did not :) We had a great time with our students and leaders. I think we all have learned to appreciate Christ's birth even more this year than ever before.


It's really been a great few weeks!

Cool Song I'd Never Heard Before

Here's another song I came across in the hymnal. It's called "Our Savior's Infant Cries Were Heard." It was written by Thomas Troeger, who wrote:
Our Savior's infant cries were heard and met by human love,
Before He preached one saving word or prayed to God above.

By trusting Christ to human care, God blessed forever more
the care of children everywhere--the bruised, the lost, the poor.

Whoever calms a child by night or guides a youth by day
serves Him whose birth by lantern light was on a bed of hay.

For Christ, who was a refugee from Herod and his sword,
is seeking now, thro' us, to be our children's friend and Lord.

I probably don't need to explain why this is such a beautiful song in my and Stephanie's minds. I hope that you are blessed by reading it and most of all by being reminded of how amazing it is that the Agent of Creation took human nature upon Himself to save from sin!

Pregnancy Progress

Yes, I'm alive! I'm not really into the whole blogging thing yet, but I anticipate more interest after our little one is born. =) I'm feeling really good! I am definitely noticing a change the last 2 weeks in my nausea for the good. Yeah 2nd trimester! I am almost 14 weeks. It's going by really fast, thankfully! My worst symptom was hating the smell in our apartment, even though it didn't smell to anyone else, but now it barely bothers me! I went to the doc Tuesday and had a good update. I've gained a few pounds, partially due to Thanksgiving and lazy eating the last few weeks I think. I'm actually really okay with weight gain as long as it's for the baby, not a result of me overeating. =) I'm showing just a little and can't wait to show for real!

I thought I would add a few photos of some fun baby stuff I've been looking at. Many of you know that for a while I struggled with really being excited about being pregnant. It was all so new, and I felt so out of whack. Now that I'm used to being sick, have seen the baby, and I am committing much more of my journey to God through prayer, I am definitely excited. It's neat to share the joy with the youth group too. They're already setting up a party in the hospital waiting room. =) I remember how fun that was when Ruby was born, and I look forward to being on the other side of the room. =)

On another note, Marc and I finished a book called Living the Cross Centered Life. It was all about keeping the gospel the main focus in your life. Easy, right? =) C. J. Mahaney really struck me when he said that when people ask how he is he says, "Better than I deserve." Isn't that so true??? When we really understand what we deserve....eternal separation from God in Hell....and understand that Christ, who was without sin, came to be sin for us on the cross, we cannot help but look at our lives differently. So, today, whether you're facing a hard test at school, a death or sickness in the family, or the everyday hassles of life, remember/discover the joy you should have if you trust in Christ as your Savior and Lord. We should always be better than, "Okay." If you have no idea what that's like, email me, I can tell you all about it. =)

Be blessed today!

This is the pattern we like at Target. It's called Melbourne by Graco, and the travel system, high chair, and pack n' play are all at the store! It's cheaper than many of the patterns, but just as cute!

Another cute cheaper pattern at Babies R' Us called "Oh" by Evenflo.

We've always loved the G-Galore pattern by Graco because of our name, and we know Aunt Megan thinks it's cool too. =) We're bummed, though, because the travel system comes with a car seat that we don't like because it's extra heavy. We might still get the Pack N' Play...we'll see. =)

We're pretty positive this is the nursery. We aren't finding out the sex of the baby probably (!), and we've always wanted a gender neutral nursery anyway. It's called NoJo Jungle Tales, but it's only available online at Babies R' Us...bummer. I like the polka dots a lot! =)

Baby It's Cold Outside

Well, the weather is pretty awful here. There's ice on the roads and our county is in a Winter Weather Advisory. We got a little spoiled in Louisville the last few years, but we're back up further north now and back to the weather we're more used to :) A concert we were going to attend tonight got canceled, so we decided just to stay here tonight, play some cards, watch t.v., read a psalm and pray together, etc.

I continued reading through some Christmas hymns--of which there are tons by the way! Here's one I loved when I read it. It's "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

This was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the 1800s. I think he beautifully depicts the story of someone hearing the old Christmas adage derived from the angels' proclamation of "peace on earth, good will to men." At first he just is caught up in the spirit of the music--how "wild and sweet" it is. Then in the third stanza, upon deeper thinking, he despairs that their message might be an empty promise after all--because the world he knows is not one of peace and good will. But as he continues to listen to the music, he is encouraged that God is not dead or sleeping. There might still be injustice and suffering in this life and in our experience, but he remembers to take confidence in God's ultimate justice and the hope for something greater that we have through Christ. Finally, as he realizes this, the dark thoughts turn to brightness as the truth of the angels song sinks into his heart again.

I wish the song more clearly tied our hope of "peace" and "good will" to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ--more than to just "God" in general. As it is written, a believer in any god could resonate with the meaning. But if Longfellow would have somehow communicated the gospel of Christ more clearly, this song would be even better than it already is. All in all though, a great song!

Music all around

Steph and I participated in our church's Christmas musical this weekend. We did two showings of "Christmas Shoes." Both went very well! We had a great time singing with our fellow choir members and bringing glory to Jesus--even through goofy songs like "Mr. Grinch." Hopefully the gospel message was presented clearly through the starting point of the Christmas story our culture is quazi-familiar with.

Here's another verse that I liked from a Christmas hymn. The third verse of "Joy to the World" goes as follows:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

The Bible is very clear that death, suffering, and pain are all part of the curse that God has placed on humanity--and on the earth in general--because of Adam's sin. "Sins and sorrows" are prone to grow all around us, because our hearts are naturally slaves to sin, and sorrow is part the punishment that our sin has brought upon us. And "thorns infest(ing) the ground" are constant reminders to us that the world is not how it was created to be. They are a visible symbol of God's judgment for sin (see Genesis 3). So, the curse's effects are far-reaching; it affects everything we experience in this life.

BUT, through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God has shown human beings an undeserved blessing. We can have forgiveness of sin. We can be set free from sin's chains. We can have hope in the face of sorrow. In this life, we can find victory over evil. In the next, that victory will be completely realized! What great hope Jesus has brought to us who are living in a cursed world!

Hopefully there will be more posts to come with even more great songs.

Steph goes in for her next check-up tomorrow. So please pray for us and our baby--that God would protect them both and that He would give me the serving attitude that my wife really needs right now.

Christmas Lyrics

I wrote a post yesterday that I don't want you to miss, so check it out below...But I wanted to follow it up with some more lyrics from Christmas songs. Here are some I ran across tonight:

The third stanza of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is as follows:

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heav'n.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still
The dear Christ enters in.

Phillips Brooks, the author, is playing on the idea of Jesus' birth coming rather "silently"--although I don't know how "silent" it truly was with the angels proclamations and the shepherds spreading the word. But it is true that the whole world wasn't completely fascinated or awed by Christ's birth at that time. So in a sense, while angels were singing God's praises and marveling at the birth, the world rolled on as usual...Brooks is reminding us that Jesus invades the hearts of sinners like you and me in the same silent way when we are "meek" and repentant. The world may not take much notice of the change or appreciate it (they moved on from the birth of Christ rather quickly it seems--except for King Herod), but it is real none the less.

The last stanza goes like this:

O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today!
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Immanuel!

Brooks very simply helps us sing to our Savior and invite Him to daily live within us. Of course, He never leaves us. It is not as if the Spirit of Christ has to be born in us again day after day after day. But Brooks is poetically having us ask Jesus to "abide" with us daily and to help us cast out sin from our lives daily. So in that sense, He can be born in us each day and influence us afresh. This idea of "abiding" is a rich biblical teaching that John especially focuses on and one that we can certainly be reminded of at this time of year where we celebrate Christ's first entrance into our world and into the lives of humanity.

I'd encourage you all to take time to read through some songs and take time to think about what they're really saying. There's some beautiful and deep meaning there.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Time

Well, Christmas "season" is officially upon us. It's been a good few weeks since our last post. Our ultrasound went really well. We have a few pictures, which most of you have probably already seen. But we found out there is only one baby and that it is measuring almost exactly as we expected it to. The due date is June 21st--which is Father's Day and only four days removed from my (Marc) birthday! So it should be an exciting time. We will keep you posted as we find more information...But it was absolutely amazing to hear the heartbeat and to see our tiny little child move around. We have a VHS of it and have enjoyed showing it to our families :)

Stephanie and I are going to perform in our church's Christmas musical, "Christmas Shoes," this Saturday and Sunday. I even have a solo; it's only two lines, but still. We've really enjoyed learning these songs and practicing together. Singing parts is surprisingly fun!

Speaking of music, one thing I want to do this Christmas season is read through Christmas songs in the hymnal to see if there are any songs of real depth that I'm unfamiliar with. I ran across "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus." I didn't recognize it until Steph figured out the tune and sang it, but it has great poetic lyrics. Here they are:
"Come, Thou long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel's strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art; Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.
"Born Thy people to deliver, Born a child, and yet a King, Born to reign in us forever, Now They gracious kingdom bring. By Thine own eternal spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne."

If I come across more in the next few weeks, I'll share them here.

On another note, Stephanie went to North Carolina last week to help with Operation Christmas Child in their warehouse. A small group of ladies from our church went and really enjoyed serving together out there. My wife has a real heart for orphans and underprivileged children both here and overseas, and we really believe that at some point in the future we might adopt. God has adopted us as His children even though by nature and by choice we were not one of His. So how beautiful it is for Christians to welcome orphans into their family! There's maybe no clearer image of living out the gospel in real life.

I've been reading through Titus recently and Steph has been reading through 1 Thessalonians. A verse that has really struck Steph is 1 Thessalonians 2:8, where Paul writes, "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." It really struck her that we should "delight" in sharing the gospel with others rather than seeing it as a burden to bear or an obligation that we have to do grudgingly. And a verse that struck me was Titus 2:7a, where Paul writes, "Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works..." Titus was a pastor, and Paul was reminding him that his life is on display for all to see the gospel lived out. God used this text to bring to mind areas of my life that were not "models of good works." We are so thankful that God's Word is alive and that it sharpens us! Humbling, but much needed.

Our First Official Appointment

On Tuesday, Steph and I went in for our first official pregnancy appointment. To my disappointment, we were not able to hear the baby's heartbeat. We basically just were able to get some simple information about what to expect as far as future appointments; and the doctor let us know that we need to do some basic blood tests for Stephanie--all very basic stuff. (On a side note: It was extremely sad to Steph and I that part of why they encourage these tests--for things like Down's Syndrome or cystic fibrosis--early on in the pregnancy is so that people could "choose to not continue with the pregnancy" as an option...How horrible!)

Well, during the brief examination of Steph, the doctor told her that she wants her to come in for an ultrasound on Monday! The reason? She thinks that she seems like she is further along than we had previously thought, so she wants to check to make sure. Another possibility some have suggested is that maybe it is twins. I've jokingly mentioned the possibility of twins, but how awesome would that be?! God is certainly in control of this pregnancy--whether we're two months along or three, whether there's one baby or two (or more), and whether the baby is healthy or sick. We will keep praising Him and turning all things over to Him throughout the course of these next six or seven months.

Thank you for your continued prayers. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible during the holidays!

A Good Weekend

Hey everybody...We had a great weekend. Friday we went on a mid-day date (Applebee's and the Secret Life of Bees...I just now picked up on a "bee" theme to it). Then we had thought about going to the state championship soccer game because our local high school made it to the finals, but that ended up not happening for a few reasons.
Thursday we had decided to rent the movie Newsies, a favorite of Steph's. It's a musical about boys selling newspapers in New York who go on strike b/c they're not getting enough respect. I actually liked it (though we had to watch it on You Tube, b/c the rental copy we had wouldn't even read in our DVD player). So when I returned it they gave me a free rental, which I used for Elf--which I thought was absolutely hilarious this time around after hating it the first time I watched it a few years back.
Saturday we got some work done for school and church here at home. I was able to check in on a lot of my students and invite them to go laser tagging this Saturday. And we also went to "Cabaret," the local schools' choir presentations. They had middle and high school groups do their performances, and a few of our students were in it. They did a great job!
Sunday was a great day of worship. I got to do a children's sermon for the first time-about Veteran's Day. The kids in our church were very well behaved and paid a lot of attention, and Stephanie helped me maintain the group :) After the service I got to talk to a young boy and his family, and he's going to be baptized in a few weeks--by ME. It's the first time that I've had this privilege, so I am so excited!

Stephanie has been doing great the last few days is proud because she is starting to show just a tiny bit :) I am really proud of her and how she's handled the sickness, tiredness, aches, etc. She's really maintained a good attitude, and it's helped me to do the same. We still don't know what the Lord has in store for these next seven months, but we are trusting in Him and more and more excited about having a child!

Big News!

So, yeah, we've stunk in recent months at keeping our blog updated, but this was important enough to snap us back into updating--and probably for at least another eight or nine months :)

STEPH IS PREGNANT!

Most of you have already heard this I am sure. But in case you hadn't, now you know! We are less than two months along, so we are still unsure of due dates, gender, etc. All that will come in due time.

We are thrilled and extremely grateful to God for the life of our child that He has already started to "knit together." He/she already has the image of our God, and his/her life will go precisely as God has planned it. We are admittedly a bit nervous with this being our first child and having several of our friends and family have difficulties with pregnancies, but we are placing our trust in the Creator of life. It's such a humbling process, pregnancy is. We have so little control over what takes place--almost as if God just throws us at His feet to beg for protection. No matter what comes these next eight months or so, we want to honor Him--the One who gave up His Son in order that we could be forgiven and set free from sin's power.

Please keep us in your prayers. We will update often, I am sure. So keep your eyes peeled for further updates as time rolls on. We love you all and are grateful in advance for all your prayers, wisdom, gifts, and help as we enter this exciting world of parenting.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." -Psalm 127:3

Here is a picture of our baby's cousins :) Aren't they cute:

Anna

She is much better today! Praise God! The fever went down, and she is back at home. It was some sort of viral infection they said....She is such a sweet girl. Her dad had called a lot of people to get them to pray for her, and when she started feeling better, she said something to the effect of, "Daddy, I think the prayers are working because I feel better." How awesome when young children recognize God's work!

Pray for Anna

Hey everybody...long time no post! I have a quick favor for anyone who checks this...Could you please pray for Anna Kneip? She is the daughter of some good friends of ours from back in Jeffersonville at our church plant there. She has a 104 degree temperature right now--and rising. They are taking her to the hospital for treatment and will keep us posted on how things progress. We've seen how God can do great things in our family in recent days (not2us.net). So let's lift this dear little girl up in prayer.

Family

I know it's been a while. I figure once we have kids (God willing) we will post on here a LOT more. For now, we just enjoy sharing our thoughts here and there. Like Marc said, we are doing great. I am so thrilled to start working again, but in a much more relaxed environment....although most people would think that subbing is more stressful. =) I have recently started to clean out my teaching files, and it got me really excited to see how God wants me to use my gift for teaching long term. Home-schooling? Professional Development? Church? Tutoring Company? Who knows! =) In the Fall I will be continuing my masters at Wright State and will be getting it in Reading so that I can get an endorsement on my license. I'm so excited to learn more about teaching a subject I've loved since a little girl. Also, I will be taking a leadership position at church called the T & T director. In a few weeks we start AWANA, our Sunday night ministry for kids. T & T is the club for 3rd-6th graders. It will be a lot of work to get used to a program I've never done, but so far it seems like a fun and solid program. I've already gotten excited looking at the material and envisioning a teaching theme and such. =)

So, I've titled this post "Family" for a reason. Can I just talk about how great our families are??? We are so blessed. It's been so neat to see how God has turned my heart around as far as how I get along with my own family. I think when I realized I was a sinner in need of forgiveness, I slowly began to see my imperfections as well as be more gracious with my family's imperfections. So, I want to write what I love about my family members. =)

My Family:

Mom: She is the most giving person you will ever meet. She always wants to make sure we are taken care of, and I love our talks on the phone several times a week. =)

Dad: He is a man after God's own heart. I see a strong desire in his heart to truly show is faith in how he acts. He messes up like everyone else, but he remains committed to God.

Rachel: She can make you laugh like no one else! I enjoy being goofy with her.

Ross: He makes good choices in a world full of young people making bad choices. I'm very proud of him. He's quiet, but I really enjoy talking with him, like when Marc, Ross, and I rode together to Turkey Run. You just have to find the right moment. =)

Matt: He is an awesome brother-in-law. He takes good care of Rachel and is a very hands-on dad with Aubrey.

Aubrey: She makes me smile! She didn't talk to us for a long time because she wasn't old enough to know who we were, but recently she has spent more time with us and says the cutest things! We had a blast when she came to visit while the guys golfed. I will never forget when she cuddled with me on the couch. =) She is a bundle of energy!

In-Laws

Bob: Bob is very thoughtful!! I will never forget when he surprised me with a Jimmy Buffet cd to listen to on our way to our honeymoon. He's done many things like that over the years, and he always makes me feel like a valued part of the family.

Diana: She cares a great deal for her family. She often puts aside her own well-being to make sure we are okay. I have been amazed at how much she has been there for Lindsay while she has been on bedrest. What an amazing mother-in-law!

Megan: Megan is dedicated to whatever she does! She is currently at Ball State and is getting an elementary and special education degree. She is very much a women after God's own heart, often seeking out counsel for how to deal with issues. We love spending time with her!

Jordan: Jordan has been an amazing boyfriend to Megan for several years now. He reminds me a lot of Matt. He is very selfless when it comes to taking care of Megan. I also admire how educated he is about his opinions. He's not the type to rattle off what he thinks without knowing what he's talking about. =)

Mike: Mike is a quiet guy, but he has always been respectful of me. I'm sure it wasn't easy for him to share his twin brother with me all those years before we were married, but he was never resentful to me. He always seems to be genuinely interested in what I have to say.

Lindsay: Everyone needs to meet this woman. She has a strong passion for people, and I am amazed at how she has turned being on bedrest with Burke into a very fruitful ministry to women via the internet. She is an amazing mom too!

Ruby: Ruby never has a shy phase with us. She will put a smile on your face the minute you see her. My favorite time with her was blowing bubbles out on the porch at her house. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious.

Burke: We haven't met Burke yet, but he has already changed our lives. Through his life he has shown a lot of people how faithful God is to those who love Him. His life may be short, or it may be long, but no matter what, God will be glorified!

Marc and I are very thrilled to extend our family. We are confident that each one of these people will play a part in our children's lives, and that is so exciting! Each person has something unique to offer. That's all for now. =)

Stephanie

What a great few weeks

The last several weeks--those ending the summer months--have been great for us. We celebrated Stephanie's birthday just a few days back, have been to some fun get togethers (with our youth group and with our families). I got an opportunity to preach and to lead worship at our church. Ministry has been great. We've been able to make some new friends. We went to a great concert this past weekend.

And we both have really been growing spiritually in recent days. Stephanie is reading through Genesis and is loving really thinking about deeper issues like the young-earth/old-earth debate. She's developed a real interest in studying these things. As for me, I have really been on a counseling/parenting kick as of late. I'm reading Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp right now. It is fantastic! I actually wrote about it on my church blog today: ariseandeat.blogspot.com

Please keep us in prayer as we head into this school year. We are excited about what God has planned for us, but this is a definite time of transition into a more "stable" time of year. Stephanie will be going back to substitute teaching as opportunities arise. I will be trying to get more involved in school activities and children's ministry programs (since I've focused primarily on youth so far).

I am SO thankful for where God has brought us. We could not ask for a better situation. Thank you for your encouragement and prayers. We miss everyone a great deal but are thrilled to be where God wants us to be. Let us know how we can pray for you.

Here's some pictures of us with our niece Aubrey:

Art Monk

I know it's been a long while since our last post. I wanted to give a link to this blog by my favorite preacher, C.J. Mahaney. It is about the Hall of Fame induction of Art Monk and his crystal clear proclamation of Christ as His Savior during his speech. It should make for an interesting short read for any sports fans who check this.

Click here for the article.

Strength Will Rise!

I was singing "Everlasting God" tonight at church, and our dear family came to mind immediately. Our sister-in-law Lindsay is pregnant with her and Mike's (Marc's brother) second child. She is 18 weeks along and is on bed rest because of leaking amniotic fluid. I urge you to go to their blog not2us.net/blog and partner with us in praying for them!

It's so cool how God teaches you something new all the time, even with a familar song. I especially clung to "Strength will rise as you wait upon the Lord." We often think our strength will dwindle as we wait, but God promises renewal if we hope in Him! God's word is amazing. I had to share this with you tonight!

Isaiah 40 28-31
28 Do you not know?Have you not heard?The LORD is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth.He will not grow tired or weary,and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the wearyand increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint.

Steph

Words from Steph

I haven't written on here in a while. No deep thoughts, really. I am really praying to be a good steward of my time this summer, and so far it's gone pretty well! I spent several days getting things together for applying for grad school (Ball State Distance Learning Program-Masters in El. Ed. with a Reading License), my Ohio teaching license, and Sylvan. It's crazy how much I had to get together. I finally feel like I've done all I can for now...it's a waiting game. I'm excited to continue my masters, and this program seems really neat. I'd love to be a reading instructional coach eventaully. In the fall I hope to sub and work at Sylvan so that I can have a summer job as well. Both the school district and Sylvan said they don't start looking at resumes/hiring until July/August, so I am learning patience and trusting God that I'll have a job by the fall. Subbing is for sure, but Sylvan will depend on numbers.

Besides that, I'm trying to read a lot and not watch so much television. I've continued in the Love Comes Softly series and am currently reading Bad Girls of the Bible, as Marc mentioned. I love learning through the lives of women in the Bible, and I hope to teach a study eventually. I also started a new hobby, card-making! It's a lot of fun, and it's a good intro into scrapbooking type things. I got good deals on my starter supplies and tried a few the other night. I love encouraging people, so I think this will be a fun hobby for me! Another thing to keep me busy is learning new recipes. So far I've made a cookie cake for Marc's birthday, cold corn salad, salsa chicken, and applesauce nut bread. All are relatively easy, so if you actually read this, feel free to ask for the recipes! =)

That's all for now. Oh yeah...I LOVE being a youth pastor's wife. =)

Stephanie

The following was a blog posting on a website I like to read. It was written by Ben Reaoch, a pastor from Pennsylvania. It has a lot to do with the failure of us to take responsibility for our own sin. We, myself included, are experts at shifting blame outside of ourselves to other people or our environment, when Scripture would have us look internally at our own hearts. Here is the post called 12 Sins We Blame On Others:

It started in the Garden. Adam said to God,

The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate. (Genesis 3:12)

The first man, caught in the first sin, turns to blame his wife. And he extends the blame to God as well! He implies that he would have remained innocent if God hadn't put Eve in the garden with him.

The blame-shifting in the Garden continues today. Our proud hearts send us desperately looking for someone else to point to every time we're confronted with our own sin. There must be someone else—our spouse, sibling, parent, boss, co-worker, pastor, friend, or God, himself.

We are so desperate to justify ourselves that we become irrational. Here are 12 examples.

1) Anger

I wouldn't lose my temper if my co-workers were easier to get along with, or if my kids behaved better, or if my spouse were more considerate.

2) Impatience

I would be a very patient person if it weren't for traffic jams and long lines in the grocery store. If I didn't have so many things to do, and if the people around me weren't so slow, I would never become impatient!

3) Lust

I would have a pure mind if there weren't so many sensual images in our culture.

4) Anxiety

I wouldn't worry about the future if my life were just a little more secure—if I had more money, and no health problems.

5) Spiritual Apathy

My spiritual life would be so much more vibrant and I would struggle with sin less if my small group were more encouraging, or if Sunday school were more engaging, or if the music in the worship service were more lively, or if the sermons were better.

6) Insubordination

If my parents/bosses/elders were godly leaders, then I would joyfully follow them.

7) A Critical Spirit

It's not my fault that the people around me are ignorant and inexperienced.

8) Bitterness

If you knew what that person did to me, you would understand my bitterness. How could I forgive something like that?

9) Gluttony

My wife/husband/roommate/friend is a wonderful cook! The things they make are impossible to resist.

10) Gossip

It's the people around me who start the conversations. There's no way to avoid hearing what others happen to say. And when others ask me questions, I can't avoid sharing what I know.

11) Self-Pity

I'll never be happy, because my marriage/family/job/ministry is so difficult.

12) Selfishness

I would be more generous if we had more money.

Making excuses like this is arrogant and foolish. It's a proud way of trying to justify our actions and pacify our guilty consciences. And it keeps us from humbling ourselves before God to repent of our sins and seek his forgiveness.

Consider James 1:13-15, which leaves us with no way of escaping our own sin and guilt. We cannot blame God, for he "cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one."

Instead, we have to accept the humbling truth that "each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." This will end the blame game, and it will send us pleading for Christ's mercy and grace.

A belated post about moving to Ohio

I think most of you know this already, but we have officially moved to Ohio. We're Buckeyes now! We've been here three weeks now and are so thrilled about where God has us. He made it abundantly clear that this was where we were supposed to be, and He has continued to encourage us since we've been here. Our church family is wonderful, supportive of us, and excited about serving in God's kingdom. The children and students we work with have shown us a lot of love and respect even as new staff members who are following on the heels of a few youth guys who came and went pretty quickly. The community of Beavercreek is beautiful, and the people are surprisingly friendly!
We've had a jampacked few weeks (birthday for me, our third anniversary, getting new drivers licenses, a church car show yesterday, traveling two different weekends, preaching my second week here, a clean-up day at work, unpacking all our boxes and getting organized, etc.), but it's been nice to hit the ground running, and we are excited to see how God uses us to further His kingdom in our new community. Stephanie and I are trying to be better equipped to share the gospel personally with others and pledging to be more bold in our witness for Christ. If you pray for us, you can make that a prayer concern....We have had some really good conversations and time in the Word together recently. God's been teaching Stephanie a lot from the book of Romans about the beauty of the gospel and how much hope it brings us. And I've been reading in Matthew and being freshly reminded about the teaching and the work of Christ while He was on earth. Both of us are trying to memorize long portions of Scripture. There is such great value to hiding God's Word in our hearts and minds. Steph and I definitely recommend trying to memorize long portions--even if it takes you weeks to get it down!
Tonight we had a parent meeting at church, which was pretty productive. Our church has great potential and seems to be moving into a new phase of life as a congregation. That brings exciting opportunities but potential for conflict as well. So we are patiently considering what steps to take and are confident that our Lord will give us direction.
Lastly, Steph and I are reading some good books that we'd recommend to you. I'm reading Seeing With New Eyes by David Powlison--a book about Christian counseling and how it should be rooted in Scripture's teachings about the human heart instead of in secular psychology's misunderstandings. And Steph is reading Bad Girls of the Bible. She loves studying women of the Bible and learning through what Scripture has to say about these women--both good and bad. Both would be good reads for you.

Here are some pictures from our move (sorry if they're all jumbled...this always confuses me for some reason):
Our old apartment all packed up

The view from our new balcony

Our new kitchen

Our new apartment living room pre-unpacking

Me and Steph on move-in day

The nature of lost humanity

I read an article tonight called "The Ascent of Lost Man in Southern Baptist Preaching" by Mark Coppenger. In a nutshell the article is about how, over time, SBC preachers have moved from viewing lost human beings as completely depraved and sinful rebels whose hearts have absolutely no desire to serve God toward a tamer view of them as being more neutral and therefore less in need of God's saving grace, because they already possess a large degree of freedom. (Hopefully I'm not sounding WAY too seminarian here.) Anyways, here are a few quotes from the article....

This is one that was not necessarily central to Dr. Coppenger's point, but that I found thought provoking none the less:
"Here is a man, for instance, who is very sick, he greatly dreads to die; his physician proposes to him to take a potion of very nauseous medicine, the patient is perfectly willing, and greatly desires the medicine. We ask, Is it really, the medicine the man wants, independent of its effects? O no, the medicine itself is disagreeable; it is the good effects of the medicine which is really the object of his desire. He wants to live, and he only desires the medicine as the means of obtaining the end. This, perhaps, unfolds the secret of your situation. If so, you are only a legalist; and it has not been religion you have been wanting all the while, but its good effects. If you will examine yourself closely, perhaps you will find that so far from having desired religion on account of what it is in its own nature, you have in reality been desiring it only as a kind of necessary evil, which you did not want, only as a means of obtaining certain wished-for ends....We see a great many persons who appear to be greatly concerned about keeping out of hell and getting to heaven, while they appear to be very little concerned about sin and holiness." -J.H.T. Kilpatrick

A short quote that shows the distinction between seeing lost man as wholly against God's Lordship and seeing him as just a neutral party who is on the fence and could go either way:
"It is not that the natural man is ignorant and needs instruction, feeble and needs invigorating, sickly and needs doctoring. His case is far more. He is spiritually lifeless, and needs quickening--a spiritual corpse which needs bringing from death to life." -R.G. Lee

This is maybe the best quote. There are echoes of Ephesians 2:1ff here:
"We are dead. We are corpses. We are born in that death. We are born in sin, even conceived in sin. All of our propensities and affinities flow in the direction of sin. We are by nature set in a fallen direction. Have you ever stood by the might Niagara? The great river falls over that precipice. It naturally does. It is uncoerced. It falls by nature. It cannot rise. It does not rise. It falls and each drop of water pushes the other over the rim of that great falls. We are set in a fallen direction....I am bound, paralyzed between two steel rails, one, my fleshly lust and the other, my fallen will. And I stand in the path of an inevitable judgment, inexorable death. I'm like a man paralyzed between two steel rails and thundering down on me is a great chain of cars....I can stand and preach to a dead corpse and say, "Don't you see?" But a corpse doesn't see. I can lift up my voice and say to a dead corpse, "Don't you understand?" But a dead corpse does not understand. I can say to a dead corpse, "Don't you hear?" But a dead corpse does not hear. It cannot will itself to a quickened life. It cannot choose, it cannot see, it cannot hear, it cannot think, it cannot understand. It is dead....The initiation of our salvation, of our calling, of our regeneration, of our new birth, of our salvation is in God and not is us. Consequently, our new birth, our regeneration, our calling is a gift of God....Now, when I read this in the Bible, and I look in my heart, is it confirmed in my experience? It is. And not only in mine, but in every man who has ever come to know Jesus as his savior. A man or a woman. Everyone of us." -W.A. Criswell

Dr. Coppenger wraps up the article with this quote, showing how when we raise our view of lost humanity, we undermine the beauty and power of God's grace in their lives. Forgiveness, regeneration, salvation, and the work of Christ on the cross suddenly aren't worth nearly as much, and aren't nearly as miraculous or amazing. Here is the quote:
"It is a pity that such preaching is more scarce than it once was. While few deny the reality of human free agency (else what sense could we make of the conscious rejection or acceptance of the gospel?), it seems that, today, the "freedom" of the lost has been magnified at the expense of their "bondage." Unlike the founders of the Southern Baptist Convention, some have come to view lost people as discriminating shoppers, whose failure to buy is due to our failure at marketing.

It is good to note that man's will is free in the sense that his choices flow freely from his character or nature, whether regenerate or unregenerate. But today the spiritual freedom of fallen man is being woefully overrated and, consequently, saving grace is being tragically underrated." -Dr. Mark Coppenger

If you actually made it through this, I am impressed. The clincher for this argument is not in what any of these guys have said, but what God's word says. Listen to what Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-7 and how he describes lost humanity--
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

Thank God that He has shown grace and mercy to a completely lost and rebellious sinner like me!

Our new home

This past weekend, we went to Beavercreek to do a few things: meet with Pastor John to start talking about this summer's activities and what we need to do to prepare for those, sign a lease for our apartment, show our parents around the town, and get our cell phones set up. The meeting with John was really encouraging and exciting. I can actually do ministry full time and am thrilled to start! The apartment is awesome! It is a beautiful place to live--with a view of the golf course off our back deck :) We are so thankful for it. It was a great time to spend with our families too. They are a great support and encouragement to us in times like this. They loved the area and were really excited for us to start this new phase of our lives there--even though we're two hours away still :) Finally, getting cell phones was an exciting time. Stephanie and I will both have cell phones now (thanks to the Barbishes for getting us on their Verizon plan and making it more affordable). And I'm entering the world of texting. Being a youth minister now, I got unlimited texting on my phone :) So text away people. If you want our numbers let us know.
Here are some links to some things you might want to check out:
Click here for our apartment complex
Click here for the Greene--a nearby outdoor shopping mall...cool as heck.
Click here for our new town's website

A Glimpse into Testing Time

Hoooray! Testing is over! This was so funny....I had to share. Teachers would appreciate it the most, but I think it's comical to anyone. They really do make you guard the test books like your life depended on it. We did have an earthquake the week before testing...I guess anything could happen. :)

Severe Weather Testing Protocols
1. Should a severe weather situation occur during testing, please remain calm. To display any kind of anxiety would be a testing irregularity and must be reported.

2. Please do not look out the window to watch for approaching tornadoes. You must monitor the students at all times. To do > otherwise would be a testing irregularity and must be reported.

3. Should students notice an approaching tornado and begin to cry, please make every effort to protect their testing materials from the flow of tears and sinus drainage.

4. Should a flying object come through your window during testing, please make every effort to ensure that it does not land on a testing booklet or an answer sheet. Please make sure to soften the landing of the flying object so that it will not disturb the students while testing.

5. Should shards of glass from a broken window come flying into the room, have the students use their bodies to shield their testing materials so that they will not be damaged. Have plenty of gauze on hand to ensure that no one accidentally bleeds on > the answer documents. Damaged answer sheets will not scan properly.

6. Should gale force winds ensue, please have everyone stuff their test booklets and answer sheets into their shirts...being very careful not to bend them because bent answer documents will not scan properly.

7. If any student gets sucked into the vortex of the funnel cloud, please make sure they mark at least one answer before departing...and of course make sure they leave their answer sheets and test booklets behind. You will have to account for those.

8. Should a funnel cloud pick you, the test administrator, up and take you flying over the rainbow, you will still be required to account for all of your testing materials when you land so please take extra precautions. Remember, once you have checked them out, they should never leave your hands.

9. When rescue workers arrive to dig you out of the rubble, please make sure that they do not, at any time, look at or handle the testing materials. Once you have been treated for your injuries, you will still be responsible for checking your materials back in. Search dogs will not be allowed to sift through the rubble for lost tests...unless of course they have been through standardized test training.

10. Please do not pray should a severe weather situation arise. Your priority is to actively monitor the test and a student might mark in the wrong section if you are praying instead of monitoring. I'm sure God will put war, world hunger, crime, and the presidential primaries on hold until after testing is over. He knows how important this test is.

We have found our church!

We want to let you all know BIG news in our lives! We accepted a ministry position today! After a long search, we really feel like God led us to the right place. He tested our patience and trust, but He was overseeing the process the entire time.
The church we will be part of is called Beavercreek Baptist Church. I (Marc) will be the Minister of Children and Youth, with a primary emphasis on the youth for the time being. Beavercreek is a suburb of Dayton, OH (about two hours east of Indianapolis for those who might be wondering). It's an SBC church that is growing with a great group of people. We met a lot of them this weekend, and we can assure you that they are a wonderful body of believers that will appreciate and care for us. The church has been through a lot over the past several years and they really desire a new staff person who will care for them and lead their young people over the long haul. That's exactly what we want to do.
My first day of work will be June 1st. So we will be moving from New Albany the last weekend of May (which just so happens to be when our lease is up!). Thank you all SO much for your prayers. They were felt. God really gave us a peace--especially over the course of this weekend--that this is where He wants us to be. He must have given the church that same impression, because the vote was unanimous--which is fairly uncommon!
So big changes are on the way for us, but exciting changes! Please keep us in your prayers as you think of us! And let us know how we can pray for you too. We love all of you and are very grateful for your involvement in our lives!
Here is a link to the church's website: www.mybbc.org

Please pray for us

It's interesting that me and my brother are going through big decisions at the same time...Steph and I think that we might have found our potential place of ministry! We had an interview last weekend at a church just outside of Dayton, OH (a suburb called Beavercreek). It's for a children's and youth ministry position. We were very encouraged by what we saw, the people we met, and the community that the church is in. We are going back at the end of the month for a more intensive weekend--"in view of a call." If all goes well and the church still likes us and we still are excited about the church, then we could potentially start as early as June! How exciting! We don't want to rush to conclusions or make a final decision just yet of course, but we are very excited. So please keep us in your prayers in the upcoming days as you remember. Thanks!

Musical Mania

Enough of these serious entries, Marcus. :) I love my husband and how deep he is! He really challenges me to think about life and God. However, I want to share something silly tonight. God has really grown my passion for music lately. I ADORE IT. It can be as serious as a worship song to as light-hearted as a musical. I also have enjoyed listening to soundtrack instrumental music. Something about it moves me to tears at times. I just love music, and I hope to pass that love on to my kids one day. I browsed on You Tube and found some of my recent favorites. :)

First, this song has really spoken to me lately as I face the daily challenge of trusting God with EVERYTHING. It's not the big things, like not knowing if Marc can find a job, that get to me. It's the daily things. This clip is just the song and lyrics:



Next, a guy we enjoyed seeing play in Muncie in college named Jon McLaughlin has experienced a lot of success this year. It's been so neat to see him go from playing in small coffee shops to now the Oscars! Marc and I both really enjoyed the movie Enchanted. We had no idea he sang the song at the end! You Tube used to have a video with him singing it at the Oscars. Not anymore...so here is the movie clip. This part of the movie gives you chills!



Another great movie...August Rush! This is a clip called "Dueling Guitars."



Finally, a musical I just discovered...gasp! It's a more modern version of the Wizard of Oz and called The Wiz. Here's my favorite song called, "Ease on Down the Road." Yes, the scarecrow is Michael Jackson and Dorothy is Diana Ross. :) My 4th graders watched this and loved it. I'm trying to show them the value of filling their minds with wholesome television. Some of them watch Jerry Springer!



I'm impressed if you watched all of those. =) Hope they cheered you up!

Stephanie

Ben Stein's Movie - April 18th

Next Friday, mark your calendars. I posted a preview of this movie a few months back I think. And I got to see a preview of it at school a week ago. It is a great movie that any believer would be well-served to see. It basically is a movie that is trying to expose the unwillingness of the scientific academic community to consider any alternative to Darwinism (the theory of natural selection). The movie is surprisingly funny (which I wasn't expecting), but more than that it makes a pretty clear case that the argument for intelligent design actually has a legitimate place in scientific thought.
Most scientists today try to act as they are completely neutral as they do their work. But the reality is that when you start to discuss the origins of life, neutrality is impossible. You either must believe that the world came about by purely natural means; or you must acknowledge the possibility that there is some greater form of Intelligence (usually a supernatural Being) that imposed order onto the universe. Intelligent design theorists--like the ones featured in this movie--are those who argue for the latter. When they look at the incredible order and structure of living things, they argue that it is almost mathematically impossible for such order to have originated by chance mutations (as opposed to the guiding hand of an Intelligent Designer). I could explain more, but I've probably already fumbled over my words and made a simple argument sound too complex.
I think if you went and watched the movie, you'd learn a great deal and it'd open your eyes to some things--particularly if you have interest in scientific studies. Let's try to support our fellow believers in their endeavors to make an impact on our culture. Go see the movie in the theater. I think you'll genuinely like it--even if you don't know the first thing about I.D. going into it. It's produced on a level that anybody could understand.
Here's a link to the movie's site so you can see what theater it is in by you: Expelled The Movie

Job Search Renewed

I've called several of you and might send out an email soon as well. But I wanted to update you on our job search. For about two months we had focused primarily on two churches. Both of them ultimately decided to go different directions; so as of Monday, Steph and I were left confused and a little disheartened that seminary is drawing to a close and our job search is not. But God's been amazing through this all and taught us to trust Him in this process. We are confident that He will lead us where He wants us when He wants us there. So we have renewed contact with a few churches to see where they are in their process of hiring. Each of them has opportunities that excite us, so we are grateful that God has left doors open for us to peek into. So we are going to be speaking to churches in the near future to see what transpires. Please keep up in your prayers when you remember us, and we'll let you know how things progress!

On a side note, I got to preach on Easter Sunday--an impromptu sermon almost. Our pastor at Pioneer got sick the night before and asked if I could preach. I didn't have a lot of time to prepare, but God's taught me a lot through Isaiah 53 recently, which incidently is prophesying about the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. So I did my best and let God take His word and apply it to people's hearts. God's really given me a love of preaching that I had not necessarily expected to have....I hope your Easter was wonderful and that you were able to take time to remember that we serve a God who has the power to do the impossible and that we too will one day share in Christ's eternal reward because He was willing to suffer and die in our place, conquering death and giving us hope in our own resurrection to eternal life. What an awesome Savior we have!

Trying something new

I'm trying to see how to embed YouTube videos on our blog. Let's see if this works :)

Your Best Life Now

Check this out!

Joel Osteen entered into the commercial enterprise a long time ago by turning the gospel into a serve-yourself/life in Christ is all roses/watered down/consumer-oriented message. But when I saw this at the Family Christian Bookstore, I was floored! He has turned his book into a board game! If that doesn't tell you what the baseline of his ministry is (entertainment and shallowly trying to get people to believe in themselves instead of God), then I don't know what would. I could be way off with this, but does this bother anybody else?

So much could be said, but I will restrain myself. I just wanted you all to see this--if for nothing more than a laugh. But it's sad that people probably buy this stuff and watch his "sermons" and are being misled into believing that the gospel is about them more than about Christ and the glory of God.

HILARIOUS Pastor Slip-Up Video

Watch it here.

Refreshing after a long week....yeah for laughter. Check out the look on the dude's face. Watch the whole thing....hopefully Marc doesn't slip up like that one day. =)

Allergies

Here's a picture of my recent allergy testing. They basically poked my arm with a needle about 40 times with different allergens. Fun times, eh? =) They then marked the marks with a marker to see how big they grow....wow, nice sentence Steph. =) This picture is from my first round. My second round they injected me with a stronger concentration, so my arm puffed up a bit more. The result: I'm allergic to pretty much everything in the air. =) I've decided to wait until we know where we're headed to pursue treatment. The most promising option seems to be not allergy shots but allergy drops, specially made from my test results to build my immunity. If we don't move too far, the office can send it to me. It's a relief to know what's wrong with me.

Speaking of moving, we had an AMAZING visit to Lebanon, Ohio this weekend. We are in love with that town and the people. Marc and I will blog about it soon. We both feel very at peace about the job search...excited about Lebanon but humbling ourselves to God's will. He knows where we'll be. No matter what we're in His hands. It's been an uplifting time. Have a blessed week!

Stephanie

Clips

Here's two things I think would be worth your time to watch. The first one is a movie trailer and the second is a clip from E.R. If you only have time to watch one, watch the E.R. clip. It's one of the most surprising things they've aired on national television in recent times I think.

Ben Stein's movie about Intelligent Design, coming out this spring.
Watch it here.
http://expelledthemovie.com/playground.php

A must watch clip from ER, where the limits of relativism (believing that all religions are ultimately valid or true) are shown as a man faces death and wants clear answers. This is powerful!
Watch it here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNuSBGa1mLM

Children's Church?

Desiring God Article.
Read the above article first or possibly skim it if you can.

I read this article that John Piper re-posted on his blog recently. This is something I've thought a lot about before but don't really know where to come down on it. I think if I was forced to choose between children's church or no children's church, I'd choose to have no children's church. What we see happen in churches where kids and teenagers' worship experiences are separated from the rest of their family's and the rest of the church's is that isolation occurs and young people want worship services that are tailored specifically for their preferences and to theirs alone. It's not so much that these are selfish kids or anything like that, but rather that we as adults are teaching them to be that way. I certainly understand and sympathize with parts of the argument in favor of children's church, but I think if you read this article you will see that children are actually better served to worship alongside mom and dad than alongside Jimmy, Susie, and their other friends back in "extended session." The sermon might not be specifically targeted at five or six year olds, and they will inevitably be distracted. But they will be learning that the mature worship of God is an important and joyous thing that they should long to be a part of. As parents and adults we need to be people who are willing to struggle through the hard moments of discipline and potential distraction--with the long-term goal of helping children grow to love worshiping God.
What do you all think? Children's church--pros? cons?

Fruitless Christian...An Oxymoron?

This is something I've thought a lot about recently. Is it possible for someone to be a genuine believer in Christ and for there to be no sign of growth in his life? I would say no. We have been fooled in American churches into believing that salvation and sanctification are totally separate, with the latter being optional. The reality that Scripture describes is quite the opposite. Jesus certainly seemed to believe that faith was equated with a certain lifestyle as well. He called people to "follow him," "take up their crosses daily," to show love and compassion, etc. He wanted disciples--people who were going to follow him and submit to his leadership. A lot of times when we do evangelism, we put so much emphasis on Scripture's teaching that we are saved by faith in Christ--which is absolutely correct--that we fail to stress Scripture's teaching that repentance and submission to God are to be ongoing realities in the life of every believer. What we are calling people to is not just to accept a "get out of hell free card." We should be calling them to submit their life to the lordship of Christ. Being a disciple that desires transformation is not an optional step for the "mature" in faith to take at some subsequent step after salvation. In a very real sense, that is what salvation and conversion are--a radical surrendering of our life to the lordship of Christ.

So what about that person who claims to be a believer and claims salvation for himself because he has put his faith in Jesus--but with no change to show for it? That person has probably not truly been regenerated (born-again), and is therefore destined to an eternity apart from God. Because as James points out "faith without works is dead." Jesus said in John 15 that if individuals are not abiding in Him, the true vine, then they will wither and be burned. This should be scary news for many people in our churches today.

Believing in Christ = Submitting to Christ. Period.

I personally have realized that in doing evangelism I need to make this expectation clear up front. Just as Jesus did, I must call people to put their faith in Him, but part of that package is reorienting their life to live under His instruction and guidance. I don't want to mislead someone into thinking that they can receive salvation through Christ without really changing anything in their life. It's a free gift, but accepting it entails a life-time commitment.

What do you guys think? Do you disagree? Agree? Thoughts?

Aubrey Playing Dress Up

We love our nieces! How precious is this? I feel like I don't even know her..she's so grown up! On another note, I got my first round of allergy testing today....interesting. They injected stuff in my arm about 50 times! I found out I'm definitely allergic to cats, dogs, and MOLD. Go figure...I work in an old school building. I have to go back in the coming weeks to have them inject me with stronger concentrations to see if I'm allergic to anything else. It'll be nice to know what's been causing all my problems this year. I probably won't start the allergy shots because chances are we'll be moving, but it'll still be nice to know. Hope everyone's safe in the snow!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

I wonder if anyone knows that song. =) Anyhoo, I had a snow day today and spent a lot of it on the web. I've gotten so behind on adding pictures to Facebook, MySpace, and Shutterfly. Then I felt the desire to change our blog. I know not a lot of people read/look at these sites, but it's fun for me. =)

On to bigger changes, Marc and I had two AWESOME interviews this weekend. One was in Owenton, Kentucky. We got to go to the service, drive around town, and meet the congregation. We then had the pastor and assistant pastor from a church in Lebanon, Ohio brave the weather and take us to dinner last night. We really feel blessed to have met with two sets of people who we really feel we could work with. It's so exciting, yet terrifying. No matter what, we know God is going before us and knows what is best. It may be neither of these churches, who knows. Still, it's been encouraging to us both that there are churches out there that really care about the lost and seek to run their church in a way that is attractive to them without sacrificing theology.

We will be traveling to Lebanon in March, so we hope to have some news within the next month or two. All prayers would be appreciated!

What a strange story
Have you all seen this? This kid had a press conference to announce he had chosen to commit to Cal over Oregon....BUT, and this is a big but, he had never been recruited by either of them. Turns out, this kid's desire to play D-1 football led him to deceive people to the n-th degree. It is wild when you think about how lies can multiply and turn into far more than we ever intended for them to. The truth is freeing. Seems like Jesus said something about that (John 8:31-32) "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” Maybe somebody needs to share the Truth with this kid :)

The will of the LORD to crush him

I'm reading in Jeremiah right now....I just finished Isaiah recently. One thing I noticed in the 53rd chapter that I'd never put a lot of thought into was that "it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief." We often think of Jesus' death only in terms of the physical suffering he underwent. This chapter details that physical suffering in a way that is extremely humbling (stricken, wounded, crushed, afflicted, man of sorrows, grief, etc. are all words that are used), but in this verse we're reminded that the cross was more than humans killing Jesus--as horrific and evil as that was. The cross in a greater sense was God the Father pouring out His wrath on the Son. The Father wasn't just passively allowing suffering to take place (as we see in Job for example). No, he was actively punishing Christ for our sin. If all Jesus was doing was being killed by fellow human beings, this wouldn't atone for our sins. There was a far deeper struggle and agony that He went through--the punishment and abandonment of the Father, something we can not even comprehend. Maybe that is why in the gospels it says that he was more or less silent (and this silence is prophesied about in Isaiah 53 as well), other than Him crying out, asking the Father why He has forsaken him. I won't ramble, but thinking about the cross in this way just humbled me to a degree I've rarely felt before. I don't think I will ever understand what He bore in my place so that I could be forgiven and free to enjoy eternal life. What an awesome Savior I serve!

Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy

I read this book recently. It is in my top five or ten books I've ever read. To some it might seem sort of academic, but I would encourage anyone to try to read it. I think it will revolutionize the way you think of your faith. It's a book about "worldview." The basic premise that Pearcy explains is this: In our world today, we have allowed science to lay claim to the realm of "truth," while Christianity--and any other faith system--have been relegated to the inferior realm of "opinion." Our culture believes that Christianity has nothing of importance to say about the origins of our world, the processes of nature, etc. They think religious beliefs are purely subjective and have no bearing on how we do science or how we understand reality. Science has been elevated to a superior level because it is supposedly based on facts and observations alone. So there is this divide between science and Christianity--the former being trustworthy and the latter being suspect.
What Pearcy clearly shows is that science itself--as it is practiced today--makes great assumptions about the world. Just as Christians believe that God exists and that nature was guided by His hand, scientists typically start with the belief that there is NO God (aka "naturalism"), and they proceed to explain the world from that starting point. So it is absurd to say that scientific naturalism is based purely on fact and Christianity purely on opinion. In reality, Christianity is able to offer a clearer explanation of reality than scientific naturalism. Pearcy shows how inadequate science has been to show how their beliefs have produced the world we see today (evolution has no verifiable evidence, something as complex as DNA could never have developed by random chance as they propose, etc.) Christianity, on the other hand, is able to offer a more than adequate explanation of reality: a Creator who designed the world just as He wanted it.....I might offer more thoughts on this later, but for now I'll leave it here. This book really helped me take heart in my beliefs, because Christianity is not an ignorant little step-child to science. In fact, the Christian worldview is able to make far MORE sense of the world we live in than scientific naturalism is.

Environmentalism

I just have a few minutes before I head to work for the day, but I wanted to post a few thoughts on here about something Steph and I have thought a little bit about in recent days. We're doing a study in Genesis with our youth group, and what we talked about last week was about how we were created in the "image of God" and how part of that image entails being stewards of Creation. As the first human beings, Adam and Eve were given authority over and responsibility for all animals, and they were to take care of and work the garden. This has just made some thoughts come to mind about how poorly we do at this today. Could it be that we focus so much as churches on the Great Commission (which I am ALL for) and on helping people get in good legal standing with God that we fail to address issues such as how to care for the environment, how to use the resources we've been given responsibly, how to treat animals, etc. NOTE: Do not get me wrong here. I think these are of secondary importance to the sharing of the gospel. I do, however, think that if the whole point of redemption in Christ is to restore the initial created order that we should do some serious thinking about these things as Christians.
This was partly sparked by a conversation I've had with a co-worker about vegetarianism. He's a vegetarian, and his wife is a vegan. He was talking to me about how sad it is how we treat animals, and I was trying to tell him about his need to repent and put his faith in Christ. But I tried listening to him and thought that vegetarians might not be as wacky as I thought. After all, God originally (if you believe in Genesis) created humans to eat plants--not meat. There are other parts of Scripture that in my mind justify the eating of meat, so don't think I'm becoming a vegetarian all of a sudden or something. But these are just some thoughts I've started to have. Our first step has been to stop throwing away all our Wal-Mart bags that we bring home our groceries in, and to start recycling them. Environmentalism will probably never be a huge passion of mine, but I've at least tried to be more thoughtful recently and not just write these people off as nut cases :)

13 pounds!

My last full semester of class starts Monday. Today I went and bought my books. There are so many. I thought it would be funny to weigh them--13 pounds! It's quite a stack :)

On a side note, I've been reading and thinking a lot on Isaiah 53 recently. You should take a look at it and remember that it was written 700 years before Christ came to earth. It really stresses how much He endured for us. They are some of the most humbling verses in the Bible I think.

Funny mock music video

called "Cletus, Take the Reel"...obviously a spoof of "Jesus Take the Wheel." I know some in my family have joked about the ideas communicated through the original song, so I thought you guys might like this.

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=29d26be9116f8a4527e5&page=1&viewtype=&category=tfm

Stephanie's Doctors Visits

I wanted to give a quick update on Stephanie's health--for those of you who actually read this :) She went to the OB/GYN yesterday to have the lump checked that she found. To our relief, the doctor said that what she was feeling was entirely normal and that she has nothing to worry about. Better safe than sorry; I'm glad that she went in and got it checked all things considered.
Her visit to the Ear/Nose/Throat guy also went pretty well. She's supposed to go back to get some skin testing done for allergies to see if there are specific allergies that she has. They say it's hard to offer any treatment unless they are able to pinpoint the cause. So she goes back at the end of this month for that. Thank you for your prayers and your concern. We will try to give some of you a call just to update you personally. Love you all very much!

Also, please keep praying for our job search. We've had some churches start to contact us, and it's all overwhelming me here recently. We just want so badly to know where we are to serve :)