Our Recon To Germany

Could Our Future Hospitality House Be In The Town In This Picture?

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.” Psalm 67:1-2

So many of the Psalms seem to be appropriate in describing our recent trip to Germany, but this one stands out for several reasons. First, God was gracious to us, blessed us, and really made his face shine upon every little detail of our trip. We praise Him for that just as the Psalmist later does in this Psalm. But we also see Him blessing us so that we can bless others. We want to pass along the blessings He has shared so that His ways will be known to include His salvation among the military community in the Grafenwoehr and Vilseck area.

One major theme that stood out to us during our six days in Germany was something that was shared the very first night. Some good friends of ours who live there hosted a dinner in which three chaplains and their wives attended. It became readily apparent how excited they are for us to come partner with them in their ministry and how much they need us there. The need for a Hospitality House in the Graf/Vilseck area was something that various people stated over and over during short time there. In fact, we believe that it would be great for there to be two Hospitality Houses—one at Graf and one at Vilseck! (These two bases are located about 20 minutes from each other and many people commute between the two and our Hospitality Housw will be located in this vicinity.)

We later had office calls with three chaplains and met several others chaplains at different times. We did not meet one single chaplain who showed any hesitancy about a Hospitality House coming and in fact the opposite was quite true. We also were permitted to share our video and give a brief presentation in the Graf Chapel service and Aimee did the same at the Vilseck Protestant Women of the Chapel group (a weekly Bible study). Both of these had very positive responses as well. In fact, without us specifically seeking out financial support, our monthly commitments went from about 25% to 50% of our needed monthly support!

We learned that both bases are growing and that Graf will continue to grow significantly. These people live on the Army post and throughout the local German towns. In order to meet the need for the increased number of people, the Army is also building a town of 850 homes just outside of Graf. This community will include a new elementary school, a new middle school, and a new chapel. We are excited about the possibilities that exist in ministering to this concentration of people.

Vilseck is composed primarily of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment which is a combat arms unit currently deployed to Iraq. Combat arms soldiers are typically deployed more often and for longer periods of time which presents great ministry opportunities to their families that remain behind. We feel a great longing to minister to this unique group of people as well.

Finally, we got to visit the Bamberg Hospitality House for their Friday night dinner and service and really enjoyed our time with Matt and Tina Huischen. We were sad to not have more time with them but were blessed by the fellowship, worship, teaching, and also seeing how they do their ministry.

I am sure that I have forgotten to mention something, but as you can see, God did so many amazing things that it is hard to remember all of them! He is so good to us.

Worth Pondering

"Christians know that an ounce of contentment is more valuable than a ton of gold. The person wearing a threadbare coat over a good conscience has found a spiritual treasure far more desirable than any he may have lost."

(From “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. Copyright (c) 2003. Located at http://www.truthforlife.org/site/PageServer?pagename=tls_overview.)

Amaziah worshipping weak gods.

I was reading in 2 Chronicles 25 this morning about King Amaziah of Judah. He led his people into battle and killed 20,000 people of Seir (verses 11-12). He then "brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them. Therefore the anger of the Lord was arouused against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, 'Why have you sought the gods of the peoople, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?'" (verses 14-15). If it weren't for the anger of God, this would be very comical. Think about it, Amaziah defeated the people of Seir, which means "their gods" (which were not gods at all) were not able to protect them. But then Amaziah takes these gods and he worships them! He worships the gods that were not strong enough to defeat him! He is worshipping that which has been proven to be weaker than himself!

A Few Pictures From Our Summer Trip to Minnesota!

From Top to Bottom:

Owen On His Favorite Red Horse

Captain Jacob On The Fishing Boat

Captain Owen On Bumpa's Pontoon Boat

Jacob Getting A Few More Casts Before Bed

Ethics and the Sermon on the Mount

For those who might be interested, below is a paper I wrote titled "Ethics and the Sermon on the Mount." It was for a class at Denver Seminary so there were certain instructions to be followed in terms of what to cover.

The pain was intense. The ringing in my ears was so loud that I could not hear my wife when she talked in a normal voice next to me. I had awakened from the night’s sleep with blisters on both of my eardrums. The pain was growing worse. I quickly made my way to the doctor who prescribed some medicine that would temporarily help with the pain. I ingested the two pills and laid down on the couch. It was only a matter of minutes until the medication took effect and I began to notice the pain decreasing. As the pain went away I also noticed that my demeanor began to change as well. One hour prior I had been edgy and sensitive to everything around me; now I was very calm and actually enjoying life! It was an amazing thing to see the effects of merely ingesting the medicine I had been given. It had changed my whole outlook on the situation and changed the way I responded to what was occurring.

The same can be said of the Sermon on the Mount. While it is not medicine to cure one’s pain, and it is also not a means to salvation, it is something that needs to be internalized. In addition, as it is internalized it will begin to shape our attitudes and behavior. The Sermon on the Mount provides us with principles that will shape our attitudes and actions so that they are more consistent with the life of Jesus Christ. These attitudes and actions are at the heart of a personal Christian ethic that reflects the character of a person who is being transformed from a life of sin to a life of righteousness. This paper will first consider the relevance the Sermon on the Mount has for ethics. I will then look at several moral challenges that most likely will be present in my future ministry, and I will analyze how the ethical principles gained from the Sermon on the Mount can guide my ethical conduct.

The first thing that we need to recognize when reading the Sermon on the Mount is that it’s not a legalistic code that must be literally followed. Rather it is comprised of various teachings that are either general principles in themselves or possess underlying principles. It is these principles that must be understood and internalized by Christians today.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was correct when he stated that Jesus only had one idea in mind when He spoke the words now known as the Sermon on the Mount. “Humanly speaking, we could understand an interpret the Sermon on the Mount in a thousand different ways. Jesus knows only one possibility: simple surrender and obedience, not interpreting it or applying it, but doing and obeying it.”[1] While not minimizing this need to surrender and obey, it also important that we know what it is that we are to surrender to and obey. Are we to literally never make an oath or swear allegiance to something (Mat. 5:33-37)? Was it a sin for me to take an oath of office when I became an officer in the Army? Did Jesus really forbid these things? Or is it the principle to which we surrender and not necessarily the precept used to illustrate the principle?
J. H. Thayer provides a clear delineation between a principle and a precept. He states, “A precept is…definite, precise, specific, fitting and belonging to particular cases. A principle…is comprehensive and fundamental; it prescribes, not particular actions, but a course of conduct; it is the source whence precepts are derived.”[2] The principle that is present in Matthew 5:33-37 is to simply let your word be trustworthy enough to stand on its own. It is not sinful to make oaths or swear allegiance to something. In fact, the Old Testament tells us to take our oaths in God’s name (Deut. 10:20) and in the New Testament Paul frequently calls on God as his own witness (Rom. 1:9, 2 Cor. 1:23). In this particular situation Jesus was addressing the Jewish Mishnah, which was a code of law that, in part, detailed which oaths were binding and which were not.[3] Jesus was simply instructing his audience to let their speech be so truthful that their “yes” meant “yes” and their “no” meant “no.”

The principles that are found in every section of the Sermon on the Mount are timeless truths as they can be applied to any people in any era. Some sections, like the beatitudes (Mat. 5:3-12), contain only principles. Other sections, as in the case of taking oaths, have precepts that are pointing to an underlying principle. The principle is what we need to surrender to and obey and not the specific precept that is either an illustration or a example tied to the context of Jesus’ audience.

The second implication from the Sermon on the Mount for ethics is that the principles derived from this passage need to be internalized by a Christian to the degree that they shape his or her character. It is from the character of a person that the majority of his or her actions spring forth. It is also clear from the teachings of the Bible that God is not merely concerned with just actions but also the motivations behind our actions. Thus the principles of the Sermon on the Mount need to be internalized so that they shape both our behavior and our motivations.
Christians must not neglect the teachings found in the Sermon on the Mount; we must hear them, internalize them, and live them out. Jesus made this point at the end of Matthew 7 when He contrasted two men. One heard the words of Jesus and put them into practice. This man was compared to a wise man who builds his house on a solid rock foundation so that it withstands the wind and rain. The second man heard the words and did not put them into practice. He was likened to a foolish man who built his house on sand and then it fell down when the storms came. It would be foolish for us to hear the words of Christ and not internalize the principles that can influence our lives for ethical living.

The shaping of our character to produce righteous motivations and actions is part of the lifelong process of transformation that occurs within a Christian. Martin Dibelius goes so far as to say that we cannot fully perform all that is required in the Sermon on the Mount but that we can be transformed by it.[4] Sadly, this process of transformation appears to be weak among Christians in the United States. Many Christians are content to live in a manner that is not very different from their unbelieving neighbors. The roots of this disease might be found in our theological basis of evangelism. Too many of us think that the goal of evangelism is to make a convert and get someone saved. If this is our goal, then it is easy for us to be content with a saved sinner whose life is not being transformed. However, if evangelism is just the first step of a life of transformation, as it should be, then there will also be an investment in people that must include the ethical shaping of character. Gordon Smith summarizes this point, “Within evangelicalism there is a propensity to think of conversion in minimalist terms: What is the very least that a person needs to do in order to be freed from the horrors of hell and assured of the glories of heaven? But when we take this approach, the outcome is hardly a genuinely Christian theology of conversion.”[5]

Transformation in a Christian means that we are being changed from a life characterized by sin to one that is more consistent with the righteous principles found in the Sermon on the Mount. We will be different from our unbelieving neighbor and thus embody the salt and light that Jesus refers to in Matthew 5:13-16. A life that is not transformed has no saltiness that would distinguish it from others nor does it have the ability to be a light in a dark place; it is just as tasty as a salt-less cracker and as good as a burned out light bulb!

Finally, if the principles found in the Sermon on the Mount are to be truly internalized, shaping our character, and leading to right motivations and ethical behavior, then we must identify how we are to achieve such an ideal. The ideal standard that Jesus sets forth in His commands is humanly impossible. These principles are not like the stated values of a company which often serve as a minimum standard for acceptable conduct. Rather Jesus gives these commands to his audience, and likewise Christians today, with the expectation that they will be fully adhered to. (And as mentioned above, he requires not just the right actions but the right motivations as well!) Such a process is not something that can be accomplished through shear willpower and determination.

While it is impossible to perfectly live-out the demands of this Jesus on this side of heaven, we are still expected to mature in our “saltiness.” Jesus states, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mat. 5:48) This impossible standard is why any study of these principles should also contain a brief treatise on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables believers to internalize the commands of Jesus and to live them out with the right motivations behind their actions. In Romans 8, Paul contrasts a life lived as a slave to the sinful nature and one that is led by the Holy Spirit. Christians have “an obligation” to live according to the Holy Spirit that is living inside of them and it is this Spirit that empowers us to live according to the righteous principles found in the Sermon on the Mount.

Furthermore, the principles for ethical living in the Sermon on the Mount are to be like the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) in that they are exemplified in the life of a believer. We could almost call them the “Ethical Fruit of the Sermon on the Mount.” Just as the fruits of the Spirit provide evidence of our love for Christ and love for others, so too does our ability to live according to the ethical principles of the Sermon on the Mount. And Jesus Himself said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:21)

Implications for Ministry
The high standard of ethical behavior set forth from the very mouth of Jesus has multi-faceted implications for anyone who’s vocation is full-time ministry (and really for any believer). First, leaders in vocational ministry must know the principles found in the Sermon on the Mount and internalize them so that they can be applied to every aspect of their lives. Second, leaders must remain in humble dependence on God for the application of these ethical principles. The role of the Holy Spirit cannot be overstated. Danger lurks when leaders become comfortable in their ability to live ethically and rely less on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our enabler and we cannot forget His power. As leaders depend on the Holy Spirit we also continue to abide in God as describe in John 15 and then we will bear much fruit. Finally, we need to be ever maturing in our ability to live ethically. This is similar to the way that we continue to get older in age but yet we are never fully as old as we will be. So too we must continually mature ethically realizing that we will never be fully “ethically mature.” We will continue to abide in God as we depend on the Holy Spirit for an ever-increasing internalization of right ethical behaviors and motivations.

The need for internalizing ethical standards implies that there are, and will be, situations in which one must choose between an action that would be deemed “ethical” and one that would be “unethical.” These situations may present themselves as one-time events in which there is a moral dilemma to be solved or they may be ongoing patterns of behavior that require continual choices of conduct. In discussing the implications of the Sermon on the Mount it is beneficial to consider situations in which I will be required to make such ethical decisions.

I believe a pattern of ethical behavior that I will be challenged with is how I present myself to the people I minister to. I have a healthy desire to live above reproach (1 Tim. 3:2), but this can easily slip into a deceitful pattern of behavior if I intentionally portray myself as someone I am not. The principle found in Matthew 5:33-37 is one of truthfulness in what we say. I need to be truthful in what I say and how I present myself through my words (and actions). If I am trying so hard to live above reproach that I begin to say things that deceive others, then I am violating this principle of truthfulness. The intention of my actions must be to live above reproach while not deceiving others as to who I truly am. If I am not living above reproach, then I need not pretend that I am just so that I present a good image to my followers.

The positive side of this principle requires that I consistently speak so that my words can always be trusted. Lewis Smedes states, “The model of such speech is God himself (2 Cor. 1:20), whom one thing is true above all else: he can be depended on to mean what he says.”[6] I too must develop the trust of people so that they can depend on what I say because a large portion of my ministry is dependent upon what I speak. If I cannot be trusted in this one area then the foundation of my ministry will erode.

Dealing with the principle of truthfulness is much easier when it is kept in general terms. However, it becomes a greater challenge when dealing with specific situations that often have consequences weighing in the balance. For example, as a Hospitality House director I will be dependent on the Army chaplains for access to the post. They are under no contractual obligation to provide me this access and so I must maintain a good relationship with them in order to have this privilege. So how do I respond if I know that the post-chaplain, the one responsible for issuing me a pass, is involved in unethical behavior? Do I risk my access to the post for the sake of truthfulness? Clearly the answer to this question depends on a multitude of factors and most likely will have a several different courses of action that I could pursue. But the underlying principle is that I must seek to be truthful. In this case, truthfulness probably will not mean just avoiding a lie, but also to not deceive those who trust me to be honest. I may have to actually jeopardize my post-privileges and be forthcoming with information even when not asked. The important thing is that my character is on the line even if no other people know what I know about this particular chaplain. I must remember that the ethical principle set forth in Matthew 5:33-37, and supported by many other passages to include the ninth commandment, calls me to a high standard of honesty.

A second pattern of ethical behavior that I must be careful to safe guard is that of sexual purity. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mat. 5:27-28) I would be naïve to say that sexual lust is so foreign to me as to never be a potential problem. James Montgomery Boice correctly points out that “the sexual instinct as we see it and know it, has gone wrong.”[7] Or as C. S. Lewis states, “This [sexual] appetite is in ludicrous and preposterous excess of its function.”[8] It’s not that sex is wrong, but the instinct and the way that instinct is fueled by our culture means that most men will be challenged to live sexually pure lives.

The challenge to avoid sexual lust requires that I take to heart the words of Jesus. This passage provides me with the standard that I must pursue if I am to live ethically in terms of sexual morality. The standard is not that I just refrain from sexual intercourse with another woman, rather it is that I do not even lust after another woman (whether she be present or merely on the pages of a magazine or the screen of a computer). I must supplement this thought with Paul’s command to not even allow a “hint of sexual immorality” (Eph. 5:3).
Jesus’ words pertaining to marriage and sexual faithfulness will also benefit me as I minister to those who do commit adultery. Just as in the rest of the American society, the Army culture struggles with the problems of adultery. This problem often perpetuates itself during deployments in which married spouses are separated for a long period of time. This passage will help me to teach men and women what God’s standard for marital faithfulness and sexual purity is. My goal will be to help the people in my ministry internalize this principle so that it will influence their behaviors when tempted to commit adultery. And the degree to which we are to avoid sexual sin is evident in Jesus’ illustration to gouge out our eye or cut off our hand if it causes us to sin. The point Jesus is making is that “we are to deal drastically with sin. We must not pamper it, flirt with it…We are to hate it, crush it, dig it out.”[9] I will take a proactive approach and help people understand the standard of sexual purity we are called to. Within this I will also develop practical strategies to help people deal with this ongoing temptation.

The Sermon on the Mount provides Christians with a high standard for ethical living and right motivations. It is provides a solid ethical foundation to stand on in a morally-compromising world. However, just as the pain in my ears did not subside until I took the medicine, so too the principles found in the Sermon on the Mount will have no effect on our behavior unless we internalize them as well. I must personally use these ethical principles to shape my actions and attitudes and I must also teach others how to internalize them as well. It is through this internalization that our character will be shaped towards a consistent life of ethical conduct.

Works Consulted
[1] Clarence Bauman, The Sermon on the Mount: The Modern Quest for its Meaning (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1985), 249.
[2] Tal D. Bonham, The Demands of Discipleship: The relevance of the Sermon on the Mount (Pine Bluff, AR: Discipleship Book Company, 1967), 94.
[3] D. A. Carson, The Sermon on the Mount: An Evangelical Exposition of Matthew 5-7 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company, 1978), 47.
[4] Martin Dibelius, Sermon on the Mount (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1940), 136-137.
[5] Gordon T. Smith, Beginning Well: Christian Conversion & Authentic Transformation (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 135.
[6] Lewis B. Smedes, Mere Morality: What God Expects from Ordinary People (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983), 222.
[7] James Montgomery Boice, The Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972), 115.
[8] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1958), 75.
[9] Carson, 44.

John 17:1-26 and Ministry in Germany

As I read this I can’t help but think about the future aspect of this prayer. There are many different components to be sure, but I was really struck by what Jesus prayed would happen among His followers—us. And with that in mind, it is also my prayer for the future ministry we will be a part of in Grafenwoehr, Germany.

· I pray that those whom God puts in our ministry will know God, the only true God, and Jesus Christ; for that is eternal life (17:3).
· I pray for protection from Satan, the evil one. I pray this especially for leaders in the church and ministry. I pray that God protects them by the power of His name (17:11, 15)
· I pray for unity among Christians at Graf. I also pray for unity among all those in ministry at Graf (17:11, 20, 22).
· I pray for joy—the full measure of Christ’s joy to resonate among Christians! (17:13).
· I pray for lost souls to be saved and for God to be glorified (17:20, 24).

Aimee and I have a heart for soldiers and their families, and it truly is our prayer that God will continue to work in mighty ways among them. Particularly He has been giving us a greater passion for those who are stationed at Grafenwoehr. We cannot wait to move there in a year so that we can give ourselves fully to ministering to them. We are also excited to know that God is already at work in a variety of ways there and we look forward to joining His ongoing work.

John 17:1-26 (NIV)
JN 17:1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

JN 17:6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

JN 17:13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

JN 17:20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

JN 17:24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

JN 17:25 "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

Turmoil or Peace?

The life of many a Christian in the U.S. is lived at a pace that often incites turmoil within us. Turmoil that comes from the need to get things done. Turmoil that arises when we have to get one kid from school to the doctor and back home in time for the other child to get his nap. Turmoil that arises with the uncertainty of that business deal that may not be completed on time. Turmoil that comes from our “need” for entertainment—the need to watch the Rockies win their playoff game and thus I don’t finish my studies until 1:45 in the morning! Turmoil that comes from the “noise” of so many things around us.

Some turmoil is self-imposed and within our control; some is out of our hands. All of it is subject to the power of God. And what does his word tell us? It tells us not to be anxious about anything. Does your turmoil make you anxious? Is there a sense of peace about you or are you always on the go from one thing to another? “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6-7) Whatever it is that makes your life full of turmoil and lacking in peace, pray about it and surrender it to God. Have you ever considered giving your busyness to God? Have you prayed about that business deal? Or just the anxious feeling of getting all the errands run for your kids in time for their naps? The cool part of this verse is what comes next. “…present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Give that which makes you anxious over to God. Pray about it, surrender it to Him in thankfulness that He cares, and let His peace consume you. What is that one thing that looms over you like a dark cloud? That one thing that makes you think, “If I could just get rid of this __________ [fill in the blank], then life would seem better.” Well, whatever that is, surrender it to God and trust Him for its outcome (which may not be what you think). I read a great reminder once that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving! This means He knows what is best for you, is able to do what is best for you, and wants to do what is best for you! Trust Him for that and let his peace guard your heart and mind!

A Christian's Value

Last night at our Bible study we talked about what our value as a person is. As Christians it is important to remember that we are loved by God, we have been justified and declared righteous by God, and we are adopted children of God. All these things mean that we have value and worth apart from anything we do on our own. Just as a $10 bill has its value given to it by the government (otherwise it would just be a green piece of paper with a pretty face on it), we too have value because of what God has done for us. This is important to remember because it frees us from the feelings of needing to please others and gain their approval in order to be valued. Instead, God values us because he loves us, declares us righteous, and has adopted us as his children. Aimee and I love our two boys because they are our boys--not because of all the wonderful things they do. We loved Jacob before he ever smiled. We loved Owen way before he took the butter knife and put egg yoke in his hair this morning! We love them because of who they are (our children) and not because of what they do. In the same way, God loves us because He has chosen to adopt us as His children. This is where our value and worth can be found--in the love of God. We don't have to work to earn it from Him or anyone else which means we can enjoy the peace we have with Him and others.

Remember:

You are loved by God.

You have been justified and are declared righteous.

You have been adopted as a child.

Some Scripture to Consider:
Ephesians 1:4b-5
In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

Ephesians 2:4-10
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

Romans 8:30-31
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Galatians 4:4-7
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Healing and Talking

The good news from the doctor is that I am healing well enough to be off of "voice rest" which pleased both Aimee and me. She has been very supportive through all of this but one-way conversations get old after a while! The swelling in my throat is gone but the vocal cord is still hemmoraged. So while I can talk, I must not yell or do anything to cause further damage. It has been especially nice not having to limit my talking with the boys the last couple of days! Thanks for your prayers. God is answering them!

Doc's Orders: Continued Voice Rest

I went to the doctor this morning and the swelling to my throat has gone down significantly. However, my vocal cord is still 100% hemoraged and so I will be on "voice rest" for another couple of weeks. The doctor did indicate that I am doing well with the healing on my vocal cord and that the limited speaking is helping. My dad (who is an ENT doctor) explained that healing takes longer in this part of the body. So whereas a bruise on your arm will go away in a couple of weeks, a bruise to the vocal cord just takes a lot longer to heal. Some of the best news was that I am free to exercise once again! Please keep praying for the vocal cord to fully heal and that I do well with not talking. It is harder than you would think!! Thanks.

Healing...

I just wanted to provide a quick update and let everyone know that the healing is going well. However, all the damage was internal so it is hard to really know for sure how far along I am. I will go to the doctor on Friday (Aug. 3rd) and will find out more then. Here is a picture of the actual hit that hurt my neck. I am in the middle of the picture on the ground getting run over by the guy in the blue and white jersey!

Bowls, Spoons, and Recovery

Aimee and I noticed this weekend that we went through many more bowls and spoons than normal. Obviously the recovery has required soft food and the result has been a lot of soup, yogurt, and ice cream! I went to the doctor today and he was pleased with the fact that my throat is getting better. However, this was tempered with the fact that I still have a lot of internal swelling. The inflamation also includes my right vocal cord which means I will have a long recovery. He said my voice will be hoarse for several months and that it will start to sound worse before it sounds better. He put a scope through my nose and into my throat and I got to see the swelling on the screen and it was a large purple mass. All this to say, I am on "voice rest" for a month (poor Aimee and the boys!) and I can't exercise for two weeks. As you think of me and read this, please pray that my vocal cords will fully heal in the long-term so that I can use my voice for God's service. Many thanks.

Rugby and the ICU

Many of you may not know, but this summer I took up playing rugby! The picture on the left shows me (the bald guy in blue and orange) tackling and the second photo is me later during my first of two nights in ICU! On Wednesday night during a game I went to tackle a guy who came at me full-speed with his forearm up that caught me in the throat. I immediately came out of the game because I couldn't breath very well or talk at all. After the games I came home and still couldn't breath, talk, or swallow too well. Aimee recommended I go to the ER and a call to my dad (who is an Ear, Nose, and THROAT doctor!) confirmed the same recomendation. They did a CT scan and 10 minutes later about 10 doctors and nurses descended on my room in response to a trauma alert! I actually thought they were there to get me out of the room to bring in someone who was really injured. Turns out the CT scan revealed a significant amount of internal swelling that was pushing my larnyx to the side and was obstructing my breathing.

They had two options at that point: 1. Put me to sleep, insert a breathing tube, and put me on a ventilator for a day or two, or 2. admit me to the ICU for continued observation to make sure the swelling didn't increase. We chose number 2 as my condition did not seem to be worsening. Aimee spent the first night with me in my room not sleeping much as she would wake up for every alarm that would go off or if I began to breath too hard. I thought the ICU was nice once they let me start eating and drinking. I watched more coverage of the first two rounds of the British Open than I ever have in my total life combined.

My first morning there I was reading in Philippians 1:19 where Paul says that his delieverence from jail came about through the prayers of the Philippians and the Spirit of God. I felt both of those had an impact in my condtion as well. My breathing could have been blocked at any point and I didn't even go to the ER for three hours after it occurred and even drove myself home from the rugby game. At any point if my throat has swollen shut I would not have been able to breath. So the Spirit of God did protect me and many prayers continued in my healing. Many, many thanks. Please keep praying that my voice will completely return (it sounds quite raspy now) and that the swelling goes down. I have been out of the hospital 24-hours now and have noticed continued improvement. I am more tired than I thought I would be. Aimee has been taking good care of me; Jacob understands my limited energy and talking; and Owen still enjoys climbing on me!

How do we view God?

“The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17

How do we view God? Is he a loving father or a condemning guardian? A mixture of both or something all together different? I think each of us has a different view of Him that is shaped by our own upbringings and Christian experiences. Personally, I sometimes tend to think that He is disappointed with me and I have discovered that this negatively influences my relationship with Him. I have a professor (Dr. Jim Howard) who has said that he believes God cannot be displeased with a Christian. I have pondered this statement a lot and would encourage you to do the same. If it is true, how would that change the way you relate to God? Look again at the passage above—God delights in you, He rejoices over you with singing! Do you ever picture God singing over you? Another professor of mine writes in his notes on this passage, “One thing is for God’s people to rejoice in him. It is quite another to see how Yahweh rejoices over his people, how he sings over them when they are pure and have been cleansed (3:17)! His final word, and his ultimate desire, is to bless his people.” I would encourage Christians to ponder this aspect of God’s character and allow it to influence your relationship with Him.

(Final quote from online notes on Zephaniah, © M. Daniel Carroll R., Denver Seminary, 2001-2003. All rights reserved. Updated 8/18/2003)

During our recent trip we got to go tubing with our good friends the Dantzlers! All four of us were on the tubes at once--Jacob loved "the bumps!" However, as you can see, Owen didn't last too long. The hum of the boat, warmth of the sun, and "comfort" of a life-jacket quickly put him to sleep!

While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha and he said, "This is what the LORD says: Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the LORD; he will also hand Moab over to you. You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones."
The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was--water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.

THIS IS AN EASY THING IN THE EYES OF THE LORD. The backdrop to this miracle is that the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom had formed an alliance and set out to attack Moab. After seven days of marching through the Desert of Edom they were without water for their men and animals. They called upon Elisha to enquire of the Lord and this was the result. The Lord provided water in the middle of a desert for three armies of men and animals! And it was an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord! This encourages me to take heart in my day knowing that God has the power to do whatever He wills in the world today. I can trust in his sovereign power. I remember reading years ago in a book (which I can’t remember the name of) that it is important to remember God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving. This means he knows what is best in life, is able to accomplish that which He wills, and has my best interests at heart. I need to trust His sovereignty in these areas on a daily basis as I realize that He knows what is best for me, is able to do what is best for me, and wants what is best for me. This is not a license for me to be complacent or to live a life of sin, in fact the stories of 1 and 2 Kings show us quite the opposite. Nor is this a promise as to how God will respond in every situation. However, it is a license for me to trust in God because it is an easy thing for Him to provide water for three armies in a desert. I can trust that He is able to accomplish that which He wills. I must be like the kings in this specific situation and seek after God when in times of need. What is the “desert situation” in my life that I need to seek after Him for water? What about you?

5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."
6Solomon answered…9 “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.
11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.” (See all of 1 Kings 3:4-15)

As I read this passage this morning it struck me that Solomon could have asked for anything from God and yet he asked for “discernment in administering justice.” God had appeared to Solomon in a dream and told him to ask for whatever he wanted. What if God did the same to me? What would I ask for? Would it be something extremely temporal such as relief from a particular hardship? What is the one thing in your life right now that seems to loom over you like a cloud that never leaves? Would you seek relief from this? Or would it be for financial security and a long life as is alluded to in this passage? (Which by the way, God still contingently promised to him—see verses 13-15.) What is it that we would ask from God if we could ask for anything? I find this an interesting question to ponder.

But Solomon asked for discernment in administering justice which makes sense for a king. I am not a king but I realize that I administer justice quite frequently—mostly as a parent. This is not always an easy task and I don’t want to ever exasperate or frustrate my boys (see Ephesians 6:4). So my prayer this morning, and for the future, is that I have discernment in administering justice in my parenting as well as any other situation in which I am placed and required to do so.

And my prayer is for those who are in positions that require them to do this professionally. Specifically I am praying for my friend Tyler who is a Company Commander in the Army. This position often requires that he administer justice and make decisions regarding the soldiers under him. He has the power and authority to administer various levels of punishment for wrongdoing and I pray that God will provide him with discernment as he does this on a regular basis. Furthermore, he is serving in Iraq right now and I pray that he is discerning in the interactions he has with Iraqi people so that he may justly make the decisions he faces on a daily basis—often regarding the lives of Iraqi people that may or may not have been a part of attacks on coalition forces. These decisions are usually made on incomplete information but they still must be made. May God provide him great discernment.

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

It is midnight on a Friday at the Hospitality House at Ft. Bragg, NC. And as I sit and reflect on the night, I can’t help but think about the encouragement we received tonight. It is reflective of our trip as a whole. As the passage above states, our hearts have been encouraged and this has come as a result of the good deeds and words of those we have come in contact with. Every step along the way has brought some form of encouragement and we are grateful to many of you who are a part of that. This has come in your generous giving as you have been faithful to what God has laid upon your hearts. Thank you. It has also come in the words of many prayers. At every stop so far people have prayed for us and what we are doing. And God is answering those prayers as we continue along. He continues to confirm for us His calling on our lives for How He desires for us to minister in His name. We cannot understate the courage we receive from this confirmation. And finally, we have been encouraged by many different people who have spoken to us out of the experiences of their own lives as they have been in the place we are now. We are reminded that this is part of the faith journey we are on and that it is a part of the process of ministry and preparation for ministry. If God wanted to, He could easily provide all the necessary funds we need and do it at this very moment. But because He doesn’t, we know that we should continue to be faithful to ministering to the people we come in contact with. He has confirmed His call for our lives and because of this we know that He will also provide through His people what we need. We are grateful to be able to just share His love and His story and how we fit into it and see Him work from there. Thanks to all of you who have played a role in this season of encouragement. You are an answer to our prayers.

He Looks How I Feel!

I think Owen is ready to begin feeding himself! What do you think? The truth is, in this picture he looks like I feel at this point in the semester! Finals are next week and while I only have two exams, the papers that have been turned in over the past few weeks have been rewarding to write but somewhat overwhelming as well! One week until the semseter is over though and then I'lll take a deep breath, take Aimee on a date, play a round of golf, and go fly-fishing. And that will all occur in the first four days after my last exam! Then it will be back to reality as I catch up on work and begin two summer classes. It is a never-ending river that is both refreshing and fast-moving.

Our Explorer

Owen loves to explore our kitchen. He thinks that all of mom's cooking things are his toys. He also assumes that he is able to do just about anything Jacob can. In his mind he should be able to do things such as ride a bike or climb a ladder. And we have found him attempting both of these. On the positive side he likes to read and sing just like his brother. Yesterday he was sitting alone in his room with books all around him making sounds as he "read!"

Our New Blog

Our new blog is initiated by our new skiier! Jacob has hit the slopes this year and loves every minute of it. Our latest trip was on the final day of skiing at Copper Mountain and Jacob was skiing from top to bottom. He went so fast at times we were a little concerned he wouldn't stop in time for the chairlift! However, he transitioned nicely from his "french-fry" position (skis straight down the mountain) to his "slice of pizza" and slowed to a stop.