Rough Week

I realize I'm pretty much just writing this for myself; I don't think anyone else reads this. Blogging this infrequently will cause that. That's okay, I suppose.

Rough week. Wednesday was my brother's birthday. Had he not died last year, he would have been 45. It was going to be difficult anyway, but then I saw a post by one of his kids on facebook, and that made it even harder. Even more than myself, mom, or (remaining) sister, they are going to have to deal with his death, and how it happened.

Today was the one year anniversary of my sister Andrea's death. It hit me harder than I thought. Maybe it's because it came right after my brother's birthday. More likely, it's because I never really dealt with it. I mean, I cried and grieved, but never really let go as completely as I should have. Instead, I just packed the emotions down like I usually do. I suppose one day the the lid's going to blow off, but I guess not today.

God is good. Completely, and all the time. I know that, but even when you know that someone has gone on to heaven, you still miss the phone calls you can't make to talk about stuff, the memories you can't share, and all of the "stupid stuff" we take for granted.

I miss my brother and sister. And it hurts.

A Point That Sometimes Gets Missed

Someone I know recently referenced Matthew 7:1-5. Now, I don't know whether this person was saying that they were the person with the plank in their eye, or whether they had someone come at their speck while that person had not taken care of their own plank. Either way, it reminded me that there is a point that often gets missed in these verses.

The main point is to make sure you are taking care of your own business before you go jumping into someone else's. Many times, however, these verses are quoted by the people being rebuked as a way of deflecting the correction. In the verses, Jesus does not say that the first person doesn't have a speck in their eye, only that the person coming to them needs to make sure they are looking at themselves and fixing that first. Whether or not they do that doesn't change the condition of the person with the "speck".

If we are wrong (or doing wrong) the condition of the person pointing it out doesn't excuse us.

Especially For Claude And Jason

Watch it twice—once for the main video, and the second time for the stuff scrolling at the bottom of the screen.


Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Can't Think Of Anything To Blog About

Big Numbers

For the last 22 years, Kings Avenue Baptist Church has put on a "Walk Thru Bethlehem"; a free event that is designed to give people an idea of what it was like in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. Everyone that goes through hears the Gospel, and it has been used to lead many to Christ. It takes a lot to put it on, and every year it seems we wonder if it's worth it. Every year we decide it is. I was thinking about it this year and came to the conclusion that even though it is by no means a perfect event, at least we are doing something. In the first 3 days, 35 people had accepted Christ, and 180 had rededicated themselves to Him.That doesn't mean we get to stop spreading the Gospel now that it's over, or that we couldn't be doing it some other way, but people are being reached, and souls are being saved.

There is something really cool about seeing a couple of hundred (or less!) people coming together to put on a event like this. God has a track record of making a lot out of a little.

Whether it's the economy or what, I don't know, but it appears this was our biggest year yet. The crowds got bigger everyday, and on Friday and Saturday we even had to stop letting people in for a while because we ran out of parking.

So, how many people got to hear the gospel message over a four-day period?

7,078

God is good.

Not As Thankful As I Should Be

I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a wife and daughter that love me, and family and friends that are better than I deserve. More than anything else, God loves me, has saved me, and even wants to use me to serve Him. I am really thankful for that.

But I'm not as thankful as I should be. I know that I have been given more blessings than I could ever deserve and I have received more than I've lost, but this year the losses hit hard. I've had a sister and a brother die less than four months apart, and I'm feeling that loss a lot right now. It's not that I didn't feel it initially, but it's the holidays, and well...you know. The fact that how I'm feeling is considered "normal" or "understandable" is really little comfort. I try to not let all of this effect Shanna or Abbey, but that doesn't always work out. I'm probably also still holding on to some resentment or hurt feelings toward others that were created during that time. I shouldn't be, and I understand that, but I'm just being honest. I need to do a better job of forgiving others even when they don't ask for it, want it, or even realize the need for it. I need to show the mercy, forgiveness, and understanding God (and many, many others) have shown me.

I owe God more thanks than I could ever give Him, but He loves me anyway. I have so much to be thankful for, and I am truly thankful. If it doesn't always show, I apologize.

What You Don't Do Doesn't Count

Ok, maybe it counts a little, but not much.

On Pastor Jason's Blog he is talking about marriage and a conference he is hosting. I thought I would just add my own thoughts on the topic, but if you don't want to read the whole thing I'll sum up my philosophy for you:
You don't get points for the things you don't do.

Not being a jerk isn't the same thing as being nice. We have to be active participants in our marriages and families. Here are a few thoughts I have on the subject:

You don't hit, but do you hug?
You don't yell, but do you communicate?
You don't cheat, but are you meeting his/her needs?
You don't stay out all night, but are you really home?
You don't tear down, but do you build up?


If I went on, it would probably sound even more trite, but I think you get the point. We need to be doing things to make our marriages and families work. When Satan successfully attacks a marriage or family, it impacts not just that family, but all of their friends, their church, and really our whole society. And it can do that not just for now, but for the generations that follow.


What suggestions do you have on how we can strengthen our marriages?