Staying Busy

Here's a number of things going on with our family:

New Home: Well, we're on the move again. Thankfully we're only moving across town. We will be closing on our home on Friday and moving on Saturday. Currently, we have most of our current home boxed up and ready to go. I think Amy and the girls are starting to go crazy because the only things left to play with are...well...boxes. I believe that this is the 8th time that Amy and I have moved as a family so far, but I'm starting to lose count. Pray for us as we move.

Pregnancy: Amy is about 5 months along in her pregancy. She and the baby are doing well. Of course, Amy is often tired while trying to take care of the girls as well as trying to take care of herself and the baby. Please pray that she will be given good rest at night. Also, in case anyone would like to know, the new baby's name will be Ann-Marie Joy. Ann was Amy's Grandmother's name, and Marie is Amy's middle name.

Coming Under Care: Please remember me as I go before the Canidate's Committee tomorrow night. This is one of the early steps in the ordination process. I'll be sharing about my relationship with Jesus and my call to ministry. I've been looking forward to this for a while.

Seminary: I got my grades back from the various tests and papers that were due before Spring break, and I was very pleased. Thanks to all who prayed for me, especially in regard to Greek.

Puppies: All nine puppies are alive and thriving. The girls have really enjoyed having the puppies around the house.

"He is not here, but has risen."

Luke 24: 1-12 - But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Way Too Many

About a year ago Amy and I adopted a dog. The dog belonged to one of our neighbors who didn't want the her anymore...so we took her in. We have a habit of taking in animals. (The last animal we took in, a cat named Petie, died about a two months ago after being attacked by a dog.) Over the last year, we've enjoyed having Spicy around the house. Well, after today, we're going to have a lot more dog enjoyment. Early this morning Spicy gave birth to NINE puppies! Yes, NINE puppies! That's a whole lot of dogs. Granted, we never wanted this many animals, but she got pregnant before we could have her "fixed." So, we're going to have a lot of dogs until they're old enough to be adopted (which is eight weeks). Anyone interested in a new puppy? I'll post pictures soon. They're adorable.

50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die

Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die:

1 To Absorb the Wrath of God

2 To Please His Heavenly Father

3 To Learn Obedience and Be Perfected

4 To Achieve His Own Resurrection from the Dead

5 To Show the Wealth of God’s Love and Grace for Sinners

6 To Show His Own Love for U

7 To Cancel the Legal Demands of the Law Against Us

8 To Become a Ransom for Many

9 For the Forgiveness of Our Sins

10 To Provide the Basis for Our Justification

11 To Complete the Obedience That Becomes Our Righteousness

12 To Take Away Our Condemnation

13 To Abolish Circumcision and All Rituals as the Basis of Salvation

14 To Bring Us to Faith and Keep Us Faithful

15 To Make Us Holy, Blameless, and Perfect

16 To Give Us a Clear Conscience

17 To Obtain for Us All Things That Are Good for Us

18 To Heal Us from Moral and Physical Sickness

19 To Give Eternal Life to All Who Believe on Him

20 To Deliver Us from the Present Evil Age

21 To Reconcile Us to God

22 To Bring Us to God

23 So That We Might Belong to Him

24 To Give Us Confident Access to the Holiest Place

25 To Become for Us the Place Where We Meet God

26 To Bring the Old Testament Priesthood to an End and Become the Eternal High Priest

27 To Become a Sympathetic and Helpful Priest

28 To Free Us from the Futility of Our Ancestry

29 To Free Us from the Slavery of Sin

30 That We Might Die to Sin and Live to Righteousness

31 So That We Would Die to the Law and Bear Fruit for God

32 To Enable Us to Live for Christ and Not Ourselves

33 To Make His Cross the Ground of All Our Boasting

34 To Enable Us to Live by Faith in Him

35 To Give Marriage Its Deepest Meaning

36 To Create a People Passionate for Good Works

37 To Call Us to Follow His Example of Lowliness and Costly Love

38 To Create a Band of Crucified Followers

39 To Free Us from Bondage to the Fear of Death

40 So That We Would Be with Him Immediately After Death

41 To Secure Our Resurrection from the Dead

42 To Disarm the Rulers and Authorities

43 To Unleash the Power of God in the Gospel

44 To Destroy the Hostility Between Races

45 To Ransom People from Every Tribe and Language and People and Nation

46 To Gather All His Sheep from Around the World

47 To Rescue Us from Final Judgment

48 To Gain His Joy and Ours

49 So That He Would Be Crowned with Glory and Honor

50 To Show That the Worst Evil Is Meant by God for Good

Greek and Humility

At the end of C.J. Mahaney's book Humility: True Greatness he list a number of ways that we can cultivate humility. I'd like to add another suggestion to his list: study Greek. Let me explain why.

Over the last few days I have been preparing for a test in Greek II. During the first semester I had very little trouble memorizing and understanding the material. Yet, this second semester has been much more taxing. Last night I told my wife that I was stressed out because I felt like my mind was jumbled up with numerous verb, noun, and participle paradigms. I couldn't seem to keep everything straight. In response to my frantic ramblings Amy simply said: "Well, that's a good reminder that you're not God." In other words, Amy wanted to remind me that I am just a man who is limited in comparison to the God of the universe. My knowledge is so small when compared to the One who created the world out of nothing. What a humbling thought! While these thoughts will not necessarily help me translate Greek sentences, it certainly does help me to keep everything into perspective.