Celebration!

Yesterday was the boys' last day of school before the holiday break. The weathermen were also calling for "snow" and, therefore, school was letting out one hour early. Note they were calling for snow. Not that a flake had even fallen yet at decision time. Whatever. I suppose I'll just have to get used to southern snow panic. Off I went to school to participate in the festivities. Dividing myself in threes, I spent some time in Titus' class making gingerbread houses. Then onto Joseph's class for a party complete with snacks and ornament making. Lastly, I visited Elijah's class to give him lollipops with birthday greetings attached for him to distribute among his classmates. Later that evening we celebrated Elijah's birthday with a simple meal of spaghetti, at his request and a chocolate lollipop cake.

elijah

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY!

Be Still, My Soul

I realized that I haven't posted a Hymn in awhile. A friend just mentioned this one and it happens to be one of my favorites. So without further ado -

Words: Ka­tha­ri­na A. von Schle­gel, in Neue Samm­lung Geist­lich­er Lied­er, 1752 (Stille, meine Wille, dein Je­sus hilft sie­gen); trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Jane L. Borth­wick in Hymns from the Land of Lu­ther, 1855.

Music: Fin­land­ia, Jean Si­bel­i­us, 1899 (MI­DI, score). Al­ter­nate tune:

• Unde et Memores, Will­iam H. Monk, 1875 (MI­DI, score)

This hymn was re­port­ed­ly the fav­or­ite of Er­ic Lid­dell, the ath­lete who be­came fa­mous in the 1924 Olym­pics for re­fus­ing to run on the Sab­bath (see the mo­vie Char­i­ots of Fire). Lid­dell lat­er be­came a mis­sion­ary in Chi­na, and was im­pris­oned dur­ing World War II. He is said to have taught this hymn to others in the pri­son camp (where he event­u­al­ly died of a brain tu­mor).

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

We Can't Outrun God's Grace

. . . I ran away from Him. Yet, one day He found me and rescued me and by His grace I'm free.


Hunting Tiger Woods
by C.J. Mahaney 12/3/2009 3:10:00 PM Tiger Woods wants his privacy back.

He wants the media entourage to disappear from his life.

He wants to be left alone so he can manage his personal problems in private.

Not a chance.

The story began unfolding in the early hours of last Friday when he crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a tree and a fire hydrant near his Florida home. He refused to speak with the police about the incident, raising curiosity about the circumstances. The story has now escalated into allegations of marital infidelity, and that generated a blog post from Tiger that stated, “I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart.” This statement by Tiger has led most to believe that the allegations of infidelity are true.

Hunted by the Media

As expected, the allegations of adultery involving a public figure are attracting a media pile-on. This is a big story with a big audience and it’s a story that will not disappear soon. Tiger Woods is being hunted by the media.

But let us make sure we do not join the hunt. A Christian’s response to this story should be distinctly different. We should not be entertained by the news. We should not have a morbid interest in all the details. We should be saddened and sobered. We should pray for this man and even more for his wife.

And we can be sure that in the coming days we will be in conversations with friends and family where this topic will emerge. And when it does, we can avoid simply listening to the latest details and speculations, and avoid speaking self-righteously, but instead we can humbly draw attention to the grace of God in the gospel.

Hunted by Sin

But Tiger is being hunted by something more menacing than journalists. Tiger’s real enemy is his sin, and that’s an enemy much more difficult to discern and one that can’t be managed in our own strength. It’s an enemy that never sleeps.

Let me explain.

Sin Lies

The Bible in general, and the book of Proverbs in particular, reveals an unbreakable connection between our character, our conduct, and the consequences of our actions. These three are inseparable and woven by God into His created order.

Deception is part of sin’s DNA. Sin lies to us. It seeks to convince us that sin brings only pleasure, that it carries no consequences, and that no one will discover it. Sin works hard to make us forget that character, conduct, and consequences are interconnected. And when we neglect this relationship—when we think our sins will not be discovered—we ultimately mock God.

Sin Hunts

We’ve all experienced it: Sin lies to us. We take the bait. And then sin begins to hunt us.

One commentator on Proverbs articulated this truth like this: “The irony of a life of rebellion is that we begin by pursuing sin…and end up being pursued by it!….You can ‘be sure your sin will find you out’ (Num. 32:23…).”* In other words, sin comes back to hunt us.

In light of this fact, sin is an enemy Tiger can’t manage. He can’t shape this story like he does a long iron on a par 5. Tiger doesn’t need a publicity facelift; Tiger needs a Savior. Just like me. And just like you. And if by God’s grace he repents and trusts in the person and work of Christ, Tiger will experience the fruit of God’s promise that “whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Conclusion

Tiger cannot intimidate this enemy like he can Pebble Beach or any of the field of professional golfers. And there is no privacy he can claim from this enemy, regardless of his resolve, his silence, or the name painted on his yacht. It’s likely Tiger only perceives the press hunting him out of a vain “curiosity about public figures.” But Tiger is being hunted and hounded by a far greater foe: the consequences of his sin.

And this story should humble and sober us. It should make us ask: Are there any so-called “secret sins” in my life? Is there anything I have done that I hope nobody discovers? Is there anything right now in my life that I should confess to God and the appropriate individuals?

And this should leave us more amazed by grace because there, but for the grace of God, go I.

Beth and Heath

What a joy it was to take pictures of Beth and her precious son, Heath! They have such an incredible bond of love that was such a pleasure to capture. I think you'll see what I'm talking about as you look at their pictures. I was blessed by the joy they share together.

Lawrence Family

I had the privilege of photographing the Lawrence Family a few weeks ago. It was pleasure to work with you and thanks so much for the opportunity to capture some precious memories of your family.


Peek-A-Boo!


Siblings chatting


Just for fun!


Family Portrait


Mother and daughter


Father and son


The kids had been so patient during all the posing and smiling. . .




Then we let 'em loose!

Jesus is the Bridge

Titus has been asking both Shawn and I a lot of questions about Jesus, sin, God and eternity. It all started the weekend before Thanksgiving. That Friday night he began asking questions, so I took time to answer and explain that . . . all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 Shawn drew a diagram for Titus showing us on one side of the ravine and God on the other. In between was a fiery pit. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 God created us to be in a loving relationship with Him, but Adam and Eve chose their way instead of God's, thus allowing sin to enter in. God had a plan right from the beginning to restore our relationship with him because He loves us that much. Shawn drew a cross over the ravine, bridging the gap of sin to God. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 It's simple. We cannot earn it. We can not try and be "good enough". It's not possible as we are tainted with sin through birth. We need a perfect and spotless sacrificially offering to make a way to God for us. Jesus. He bore the wrath of our sin so that we could have a right relationship with God. It's a choice we all make one way or another. We either refuse Him or we'll accept Him. "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him." John 3:"36 If we choose Him, then we must confess that we're not good enough on our own and never will be and, therefore, call on Him to save us from death and eternal separation from Him and place our trust in Him as our Savior. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8,9
Simple enough for a child to comprehend and accept. Just as Titus did that Sunday morning with his earthly father leading him through a prayer of confession, belief and trust. But yet, as adults, we tend to over think and complicate things with our own reasoning, selfishness and rationale.
If you're reading this blog and have not made a decision to trust in God, the One who holds the stars and planets in place and causes the sun to rise and set each day, but yet the very same God . . . who knit you together in your mother's womb. . . Psalm 139:13 won't you consider accepting His precious invitation to restore your relationship with Him. At this time of year, when all are busy shopping for gifts to exchange this Christmas season, what better time to accept a perfect gift of love given freely by your Creator. There is no greater love than the Father's love. . . just come to Him, just the way that you are. Just stop and think about it.


Shawn and I rejoice with all in heaven that now all of our boys are safe and secure in their relationships with Jesus. There is no greater joy for a parent!


Titus praying to receive Jesus as his personal Savior


Joy indescribable!! "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." Isa. 49:16

So after church we had our Sunday School Social at the Brick House on the church's property. Tons of food, fun and fellowship. There were way more kids than adults present and soon enough they formed a football game. Our boys were told not to get involved in the tackle game as there were older boys playing. They opted out of obedience and consequently one of them was injured. Guess which one.


Titus was tackled, tossed, thrown, whatever the case may be, face first into Elijah's knee. Instantly, his cheek and eye swelled. Bloody lip and all, he must have processed his decision to go forward and play tackle football despite his father's instruction. On the way home from the social he was looking sullen in the back of the car. He muttered, "I guess Christians don't get black eyes, huh?" Meaning he was quickly processing the Holy Spirit's conviction and "felt" immediate cause and effect of his poor choice to disobey. Shawn lovingly reminded him the importance of obedience and accountability to God now that he was a Christian man.


A shiner always gets worse before it gets better. Although, he's aware of his error, he sure was proud of that shiner. Everywhere he went, he made sure people saw it.


Oh that boy! How we love him so.