So, I walked into a certain Christian bookstore the other day, and what do I see but this big sign that says, "October is ministry appreciation month!" Uh, excuse me? For as long as I can remember, October has been pastor appreciation month. Now, I have nothing, I repeat, nothing, against giving credit to those in the ministry who are not called pastors per say, such as children's ministers, missionaries, etc. They definitely should be acknowledged. They work hard in the harvest field and are often overlooked. BUT, I am tired of the way political correctness is seeping into the church. It could be compared to changing Washington and Lincoln's birthdays into President's Day, or Secretaries Day to Administrative Assistant's Day. October was chosen to honor our pastors-remember, the ones who fight relentlessly against deception, wickedness, and perversion? Those who challenge us to grow and not remain at the status quo in our relationship with Jesus Christ? Again, I don't have a problem with saluting those in the ministry not specifically called pastors, but we shouldn't take away the respect and honor due our pastors. Anybody hear me?
Since we're on the subject of pastors, I want to take a minute to thank a couple of very special pastors in my life. The first is my dad. Most wouldn't think of my dad as a pastor, but being a father demands it of him. He has taught me more than anyone else has about living for Jesus. He has shown me by his lifestyle and his words what it means to draw closer to Him every day. He has taught me how to defend against the wiles of the enemy, to love God's Word and know how to defend it, and how to cherish the time of intimacy with my Savior. I love you, Dad.
The other pastor I want to thank is Pastor Bruce at Maranatha Christian Church. He has been my pastor for as long as I can remember. He taught me how to study the Bible; more importantly, he taught me how to get excited about studying the Bible. God has used Bruce to encourage me in hard times, and to convict me when I need it. I am so thankful to have a pastor who is not afraid to speak the truth, even at the risk of "offending" someone. I need it once in a while.
10.25.2008
10.22.2008
Quote of the week
"If God had all the right answers in His right hand, and the struggle to reach those answers in His left, I would choose God's left hand."
~Martin Luther
~Martin Luther
Update
Fall has always been our busiest time, and this year is no exception. However, since I have a few free minutes, I thought I'd bring you all up-to-date on what we've been doing.
Carl's surgery on his finger went really well. He has a smaller splint, which has really increased his hand-mobility. He's also back playing football, so he couldn't be happier. His team won their last game yesterday, so they will be going to the play-offs.
With all the rain we've been getting lately, I'm beginning to think all the canoeing we did this summer might come in handy. The river is way up above the flood level. This has made travel quite interesting in places, as there are a few roads that are built almost on the river banks. On a more personal level, all the rain has been getting rather depressing. I think fall is the most beautiful time of year, but without the sun shining, it's. . . well, gray and glum. For the most part, fall is when we get the most sunshine, but this year seems to be an exception.
Well, that's all for now. Between school, music, sports, chess, etc, I don't really have much time right now, but stay tuned for pictures.
Carl's surgery on his finger went really well. He has a smaller splint, which has really increased his hand-mobility. He's also back playing football, so he couldn't be happier. His team won their last game yesterday, so they will be going to the play-offs.
With all the rain we've been getting lately, I'm beginning to think all the canoeing we did this summer might come in handy. The river is way up above the flood level. This has made travel quite interesting in places, as there are a few roads that are built almost on the river banks. On a more personal level, all the rain has been getting rather depressing. I think fall is the most beautiful time of year, but without the sun shining, it's. . . well, gray and glum. For the most part, fall is when we get the most sunshine, but this year seems to be an exception.
Well, that's all for now. Between school, music, sports, chess, etc, I don't really have much time right now, but stay tuned for pictures.
10.11.2008
Happy Birthday, Dad!
Yesterday (October 10th) was my dad's birthday. I love you Dad, and am so thankful that God has given you to be my dad.
I want to add that my Grandpa's (my mom's dad) birthday was also on October 10th. He would have been 80 years old yesterday. Cancer took him from us 9 years ago, and while I miss him terribly, I take comfort in knowing that he's in the presence of his King.
I want to add that my Grandpa's (my mom's dad) birthday was also on October 10th. He would have been 80 years old yesterday. Cancer took him from us 9 years ago, and while I miss him terribly, I take comfort in knowing that he's in the presence of his King.
10.05.2008
Youth hunting season
This weekend was the youth season for pheasant hunting, so Dad took Carl and Robbie out with some friends on Saturday. They didn't get any pheasants, but Carl did shoot a pigeon. Yes, Carl, splint and all, was able to go hunting. There was hardly any meat on the pigeon, but at least he had the thrill of bagging something.
10.04.2008
Ben Stein
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it it shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crïeche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her, How could God let something like this happen? ' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O ' Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he ' s talking about. And we said OK.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with ' WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. '
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it it shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crïeche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her, How could God let something like this happen? ' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O ' Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he ' s talking about. And we said OK.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with ' WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. '
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
10.01.2008
Randomness
I have a couple of updates on our family adventures, but I'll get to that in a second. First, I want to give a shout out to the Charlebois family, who welcomed their second beautiful little girl, Ruby, into the world on Monday. We love you guys and can't wait to meet your precious baby girl.
Well, I've started all my other updates with football, so why should this be any different? Carl got to play in the Varsity game last Friday (only because they were winning by so much), and on the first play he was out there he broke his finger. It was his right pinkie finger. Only it wasn't just a normal break. It basically broke a piece of the bone off, which was pushed back, and made the joint crooked. So, he has to go in on Monday and have them realign everything and put a screw in to hold everything in place. This is not only a blow to their JV football team, but he can't play piano for a while either. BUT, he can still play chess, which starts up in a couple weeks.
Well, I've started all my other updates with football, so why should this be any different? Carl got to play in the Varsity game last Friday (only because they were winning by so much), and on the first play he was out there he broke his finger. It was his right pinkie finger. Only it wasn't just a normal break. It basically broke a piece of the bone off, which was pushed back, and made the joint crooked. So, he has to go in on Monday and have them realign everything and put a screw in to hold everything in place. This is not only a blow to their JV football team, but he can't play piano for a while either. BUT, he can still play chess, which starts up in a couple weeks.
We also finished a summer-long project of tearing down our deck and replacing it with some (temporary) wooden steps. The deck wood was rotting to the point where you had to know exactly where to step so you didn't fall through. Needless to say, the deck had to go. We put it off for a summer or two, but it wouldn't have lasted the winter. So, down it came. There were some cement steps beneath the deck, but they were slanted in toward the house, so we rented a jackhammer and chopped it to bits. The boys loved running the thing. Then we bought some lumber and built some very sturdy steps (anyone who knows my dad KNOWS it's sturdy enough to withstand a catergory 5 hurricane). We had to dig a few feet down in the ground to put in some rocks, sand, and bricks below the steps, so Dad and Robbie just finished installing them today. Here are some pictures of the whole-LONG-project.
9.25.2008
15 years
I cannot believe my little brother turned 15 today. OK, so Carl's not so little anymore (he's pushing 6' tall), but it doesn't seem that long since he first entered the world. Our friendship has gone from playmates as young kids, to fighting constantly as we each entered the teen years, to the point now where I can proudly say he is one of my best friends.
Here are a couple of pictures of him; one is of him in his varsity game shirt; the other is of the JV team in a huddle on offense. Carl's number 58.
9.14.2008
Football, frustration, and fellowship
It was not a good weekend for our football teams. Carl's high school football team had their homecoming game on Saturday. It rained off and on throughout the game, making the field and players a muddy mess. They played the same team they had beaten in the State Championship last year, but you couldn't tell from the way they played. By the fourth quarter, the score was so pathetic the coaches decided to let the JV team play. So, even though we lost pretty badly, Carl got some more playing time. I had hoped to get some pictures of the game, but I didn't want to bring out any cameras in the rain.
NDSU also took a beating, losing to Wyoming yesterday. And we won't even mention the pro games.
On another note, most of you probably know I'm taking an online Sociology course this semester. With every passing week, I become even more convinced it should be called Socialism 101. It is frustrating to no end. I just don't understand how anyone can be so blind to the lies of the enemy. Every chapter tears apart the very values on which this country was founded. One thing that sort of shocked me-although it shouldn't have-is how feminism has been creeping into school textbooks. Even small things, like saying "women and men" instead of the other way around. I have nothing against people wanting women to have equal opportunity, but I do have a problem with those who are trying to feminize the United States. I know this might offend some people, but I offer no apologies. Read your Bibles. The man is to be the head of the household, nation, etc. Not the other way around. Period.
One aspect of this whole class ordeal that I've found rather interesting is the class discussion time. There have been some controversial topics, but I've found that I'm the only one who will openly disagree with anyone. I've tried to get some friendly debates going, but no one else will disagree with any of their classmates. This is kind of disappointing for me, because I like a good debate/argument (bet you didn't know that!).
With the frustrations of my Sociology class, I've found myself spending more and more time with my Jesus. Whether I'm reading His Word or just talking to Him, being in His presence has been what's kept me going, more so now than ever before. I'll leave you with some lyrics from Chris Sligh that have hit very close to home lately. This is my prayer, and I hope it encourages you in your walk today.
I've had just enough of the spotlight when it burns bright
To see how it gets in the blood.
And I've tasted my share of the sweet life and the wild ride
And found a little is not quite enough.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.
Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.
I've seen just enough of the quick buys of the best lies
To know how prodigals can be drawn away.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.
Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you, compared to you.
Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you so why surrender all?
~Empty Me by Chris Sligh
NDSU also took a beating, losing to Wyoming yesterday. And we won't even mention the pro games.
On another note, most of you probably know I'm taking an online Sociology course this semester. With every passing week, I become even more convinced it should be called Socialism 101. It is frustrating to no end. I just don't understand how anyone can be so blind to the lies of the enemy. Every chapter tears apart the very values on which this country was founded. One thing that sort of shocked me-although it shouldn't have-is how feminism has been creeping into school textbooks. Even small things, like saying "women and men" instead of the other way around. I have nothing against people wanting women to have equal opportunity, but I do have a problem with those who are trying to feminize the United States. I know this might offend some people, but I offer no apologies. Read your Bibles. The man is to be the head of the household, nation, etc. Not the other way around. Period.
One aspect of this whole class ordeal that I've found rather interesting is the class discussion time. There have been some controversial topics, but I've found that I'm the only one who will openly disagree with anyone. I've tried to get some friendly debates going, but no one else will disagree with any of their classmates. This is kind of disappointing for me, because I like a good debate/argument (bet you didn't know that!).
With the frustrations of my Sociology class, I've found myself spending more and more time with my Jesus. Whether I'm reading His Word or just talking to Him, being in His presence has been what's kept me going, more so now than ever before. I'll leave you with some lyrics from Chris Sligh that have hit very close to home lately. This is my prayer, and I hope it encourages you in your walk today.
I've had just enough of the spotlight when it burns bright
To see how it gets in the blood.
And I've tasted my share of the sweet life and the wild ride
And found a little is not quite enough.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.
Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.
I've seen just enough of the quick buys of the best lies
To know how prodigals can be drawn away.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.
Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you, compared to you.
Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you so why surrender all?
~Empty Me by Chris Sligh
9.11.2008
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