Caleb's 2nd Birthday

Today, June 7th, is Caleb's 2nd Birthday! It's so hard to believe that he's 2 already! With a year in Conway (miss the youth there so much) and now almost a year in Wake Forest (love our small group) it's has gone by so fast! He had a busy day so hear are a few pics of what happened followed by a word about Caleb:



We started by going to Texas Roadhouse with our wonderful friend Susan Lepper. We let him open a present while there, of course it was a matchbox :)



Here he is flying his helicopter matchbox.



Here he is later after his nap with his "Thomas the Train" Cupcake Cake.

Here he is cheesing it up with his "Thomas the Train" toy set that Susan bought him.

Then here we all are prayer walking at Jones Dairy Elementary (Chloe's school) with members of our small group - what a little stud, serving the King on his b-day!

Caleb was our blessing in that we did not necessarily plan for #3 at the time God graciously granted him to us. It was at a time in our ministry that was rough and in the midst of that God showed how truly in control He is. God in His sovereignty has truly blessed us through him! I look at him and I'm amazed at how good God has been to us!

My prayer for Caleb is that he embraces Christ as Savior and lives passionately for him, that he is a man that loves His Word, and is not ashamed to share the Gospel. Thank you Lord for Caleb - may he be as stated in Your Word, of the Caleb he is named for, "A man of a different spirit that follows you fully" (Num.14:24)!

Semester ends, Greek begins

We made it through another semester of school. 3 more classes down! I finished my finals last week and start back right away this week with 5 weeks of Greek (I'm calling it death by Greek) - one day off today for Memorial Day then Monday through Friday until July 3rd! After sitting down and looking at the classes I have left I'm pretty sure that I will be finished this time next year (will have to take some heavy class loads) - May 2010 here we come! I'm enjoying being stretched and how the Lord is growing me through this but it kicks my tail! I truly miss serving my King on staff at a local church! I do not doubt that is where He has called us to serve. It's odd here at school. There are so many that have no idea what God wants them to do and finish there degree and do not go to the mission field or to a church or to some other place of service. I dream daily of being back serving in Student Ministry or in the Pulpit. There is nothing greater than serving in that context! A wonderful friend asked me where we will go after we are done and I told him and we truly don't know. Eventhough we have no idea where He will place us after this as long as we are where He wants us we will be ecstatic - in His will no matter circumstance is where we want to be! Keep praying for us and for me as I seek to serve well in the midst of these classes and that I can learn well in Greek!

Weakness and Humility

I recently read this paragraph in Greg Heisler's book "Spirit-Led Preaching" concerning weakness and humility being a help to the Empowerment of the Holy Spirit in the life of a preacher and it really resonated in my heart. It resonated in my heart because it speaks what is on my heart. Here is the paragraph:

"The preacher not only knows he is weak apart from the Holy Spirit; he also knows he has no message apart from God's Word. He never takes the credit or glory becasue he knows it belongs totally to God. The preacher knows he is a servant, not a superstar. You don't preach long before you realize how unworthy you are to be a preacher of God's Word. This is the burdensome angst of preaching, the fact that as preachers we feel so unworthy to preach, yet we are compelled by the Spirit to do so. The thought of preaching repels and compels us at the same time. When we compare our own sinfulness with the sinless one of whom we preach, we are repulsed by a sense of unworthiness. Yet when the Spirit of God takes hold of us and fires us through his Word to a red-hot passion, we are compelled to preach because we see the glory of God, and we cannot keep silent; we cannot hold it in."

Wow! This is the burdensome angst of my heart at this time...so unworthy...yet compelled. Wherever He leads us may I be a weak and humble servant that is moldable in His hands. I love you Lord.

So Beautiful

Over the past seven weekends I have spent four in West Virginia. Normally this would be a great thing but three of the four trips have been of the kind you don't want to make. One was to say goodbye to my Pop Pop, another was for my Pop Pop's funeral, and then I made an emergency trip after my Dad had a heart attack. Throughout this time I have realized even more how beautiful my wife is. She is truly the most amazing woman I've ever met. She consistently models what a mother should be for our children and in her own quirky ways shows her love for me. I could not imagine what my life would be without her because through her in my life God conitnually blows me away daily! I love you Jill! Thank you Lord for placing her in my life!

Harry Kalas

We moved around quite while I was growing up. I was in 4 different elementary schools in 3 states by the time I was half way through the 5th grade. Half way through the 5th grade we moved to east central Pennsylvania and that is where we stayed until after I graduated when my family moved back to West Virginia. This was a special place. I embraced Christ as Savior during this time so I will always cherish my time there.

It was during this time that I was introduced to the voice of Phillies announcer Harry Kalas. It was great living there because our cable system carried channels that followed the Phillies, Mets, Yankees, and of course thanks to Ted Turner the Braves. I have been an Orioles fan since I was little but I love sports and loved baseball growing up. So I could watch any of these four teams but as I can't stand any New York teams I gravitated toward the Phillies and Braves more (mainly due to Mike Schmidt and Harry Kalas with the Phillies and Dale Murphy with the Braves).

I loved to listen to Kalas. His voice resonated through the television. It would do this as you listened to a Phillies game or if listening to a NFL films program. It would grab you and keep you there. I will never forget his legendary calls of home runs especially Mike Schmidt's 500th home run. I will also remember his call of Terry Mulholland's no hitter he trew as a member of the Phillies in 1990. I was never the biggest Phillies fan but loved Mike Schmidt and cried when he hit that ball for his 500th home run as I listened to Kalas make the call and then his comments followed Schmidt around the bases.

I will miss Hearing his voice as he died today before getting to call the Phillies game at the Nationals. Sounds funny to post something like this but his voice was one I grew up with.

Easter

Friday:
Jesus suffered, bled, and died.

Saturday:
Dead in the grave.

Sunday:
HE AROSE!

Consider Our Final Victory:
"Now I say this, bethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; not does the perishable inherit the impersihable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead in Christ will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is you sting?' The sting of death of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved bethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abouding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:50-58)

Prayer:
Thank You Lord for what we celebrate this day! Thank You for your sacrifice on our behalf as a result of our sin! May we be humbled by the work of your death, burial, and resurrection as we think of and embrace it today! We eagerly await your return and may we live steadfast, immovable, and abound in our service to You! We celebrate You this day the DAY YOU AROSE! We live in awe of You not only this day but each and every day!

10th Anniversary

Friday was our 10th Anniversary! I have to admit these 10 years have been more than I ever imagined they could or would be. I do not remember what life was like before Jill and don't want to remember. I only look ahead to the rest of our lives together. Serving the Lord before her and with her before the kids and others is an honor and privilege! A friend saw my post about her and our anniversary on facebook and said it's great to see that I'm still crazy for her after all these years and I replied in this way - I'm truly, madly, deeply, crazy in love with her!

Our friends who went with us to the concert watched the kids for us so we could go on a date - so rockin! We went to a brazilian steakhouse and the food was great but just being with Jill was the best! It was great to just sit and talk. (That usually doesn't get to happen as much as we'd like with 3 kids 5 and under, it gets chaotic! It's a good chaos though!)

Lord I'm in awe of how You have given me Jill! Thank you for placing her in my life! You continue to blow me away through the glimpses of You I see and experience in her! WOW!