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Darkness and Light

October 29, 2010 in features, Mexico, Missions, Personal Growth, Prayer with 0 Comments

Just before I went to bed last night I had a thought that I posted both on twitter and facebook.

It was my gut reaction after having read this article about of six young people being shot in Tepito, a neighborhood in Mexico City. There have been more than 7,000 people killed this year alone in Mexico as a result of the violence.

We have friends who are moving soon to Ciudad Juarez, where another five women were killed earlier yesterday in a shooting.

All of this causes conflict in my heart and soul. There is no doubt that violence is spreading all over the world. It is certain that Mexico has its dangers. There are many things happening. And it is exactly why the church of Jesus Christ must be present there.

tweet on darkness

When I write that “It is in the darkest of hours that the light must shine the brightest” I mean that in the deepest of darkness is where the light is most needed. The gospel must shine in the darkness, and the Bible teaches that the light in the dark world is us. That’s why I posted the other link to Matthew 5:16.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Please join me in praying for Mexico. Pray that the true Light will shine in the midst of the darkness, because as Psalm 139:10 says, “Even the darkness is not dark to you (God); the night is bright as the day.” Let us walk close to the light and shine it in the darkness.

(Photo by Ezioman on flickr)

Lead Me – Sanctus Real

August 21, 2010 in Personal Growth with 0 Comments


I heard this song on the radio today on my way home from the hospital. It is exactly where I am right now in my life, with 3 awesome kids, one of which is less than 48 hours old and Janell who is the most incredible person I have ever known.

This is my prayer:

Father give me the strength
To be everything I’m called to be
Oh father show me the way
To lead them won’t you

Lead me, with strong hands
To stand up when they can’t
Don’t want to leave them
Hungry for love chasing things
That I could give up

I’ll show them I’m willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this a home

Lead me
‘Cause I can’t do this alone.
Father, lead me
‘Cause I can’t do this alone.

In Christ Alone

January 30, 2010 in Personal Growth with 0 Comments

It’s been a while since I went to Urbana ’09, but I wanted to write down one of the greatest memories I had of my time in St. Louis. It was the second night of the conference, and since I was at my booth during most of the conference activities, I really only had the chance to go to some of the general sessions.

The general sessions were held in the America’s Center, the St. Louis Rams’ stadium. The memory that I don’t want to ever forget was when 16,000 of us stood to sing “In Christ Alone.” It was a powerful moment. The words to the song have grabbed ahold of me since I first heard them a while ago, and when I had the chance to sing them with 16,000 people, mostly college students, I was overwhelmed.

Here’s a the song in case you haven’t ever heard it. If you have heard it, listen again. I hope I never forget this memory of Urbana ’09.

Answered Prayer

July 27, 2009 in features, Nathan, Personal Growth with 2 Comments

For those of you who don’t think that God cares about the little things in your life, I have a great story for you.

Today Nathan went to “school” for the first time. It’s really sort of like a summer camp for three weeks. I was nervous about how he would do, since he usually doesn’t really act all that great around people who speak Spanish. I seriously spent a lot of time praying for his experience and attitude. I pray for him all the time, but this was different. I specifically spent some concentrated time in prayer for him today.

When we were getting ready, he didn’t want to go. He took his shoes and socks off after we put them on him, but we got him into the car and drove to the school, trying to convince him that it would be great. We got there and the lady showed him the classroom and all the kids, leading him back without any problem.

I’ll never forget his face when I showed up to pick him up. The smile he had proved to me that God cares for even the “little things” in our lives.

It turns out that Nathan had a great time. He loved it and is excited to go tomorrow. Thank you, God, for answering the prayers of this worried father. What an incredible proof of His faithfulness and love for us.

Express Divorce

July 9, 2009 in Personal Growth with 0 Comments

We live in a rapid society. We have instant potatoes, instant rice, fast food, and microwaveable popcorn. We want a quick solution for everything.
 
This instant gratification has translated into the desire to have many things without working for them. It seems like work ethic has disappeared. And not only in our jobs. We no longer want to work on our families or marriages either.
 
This picture is a sign for an “express divorce.” It boasts that you will only have to wait 30 days for them to finish everything for your divorce. Seems too easy to me.
 
Why can’t we work at things? Why all of a sudden have we become so lazy that we will no longer fight (in a good way) for our marriages or families? What has happened?
 
I’m not sure, but I want to be a person who works hard to protect my family and my relationship with my wife. There are things worth fighting for. Work ethic, both in ministry and family, is something that should set us apart.

Posted via email from Life and other things…

There’s Always Room for…

June 30, 2009 in Personal Growth, Youth Ministry with 0 Comments

Seth Godin wrote today about the slogan, “There’s always room for Jello.” He says…

Think about your schedule… is there room for an emergency, an SEC investigation, a server crash? If you took a day off because of the flu, is your business going to go bankrupt? Probably not.

So, if there’s time for an emergency (Jello), why isn’t there time for brilliance, generosity or learning?

In ministry, I think we ought to pose the question…”If there’s time for an emergency, why isn’t there time for intimacy with God?” The one thing that will make your ministry, family, or church better is prayer and time with God.

So let’s make time for it.

Dads are Important

June 20, 2009 in Family, features, Personal Growth with 0 Comments

Tomorrow is Father’s Day. My friend Mark posted a link to this article yesterday (Dads are Key to Making us Human), and I thought it was worth reading. Here are some things I thought were interesting:

Some 95 percent of male mammals have little to no interaction with their children. Homo sapiens are one of the most notable exceptions, leading some scientists to think fatherhood is an important part of what makes us human.

Even today, in both traditional and industrialized communities, a father’s presence correlates with improved health and decreased child mortality, Geary said.

When children have warm relationships with their father, as well as calm home lives, they tend to sexually mature later. Their bodies intuit they are safe and time is taken perfecting social skills before entering the real world, Geary said. The extra practice gives children a competitive edge. As adults, they are more likely to form secure relationships, achieve stable social standing and become able parents. In this sense, a father who takes care of his children also gives his grandchildren a leg up.

You should read the whole article. It’s really pretty great. If you’re a dad, do your job. It’s important. Have a happy father’s day.

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