Archive - January, 2012

Thanks, Mom

January 31, 2012 in Family with 6 Comments

Today is my mom’s birthday. (One of the lessons she taught me was to not say “which” birthday this is!) One of the greatest blessings God has given to me is the home in which I was raised. My parents, together, worked very hard to raise both Amber and me. (Parents…please read that last sentence again, slowly, and you will have an outline on parenting.)

There is no way I could write a blog post that truly expresses my thankfulness to my mom, but I wanted to share just a few reasons why she is so special to me.

1. God is first in her life. If you spend more than about 45 seconds with my mom, she will remind you of something good that God has done, or of a promise He has made, or of something she has learned from His Word. It doesn’t take long at all to figure out that He is the central focus of her life.

2. Dad was placed before us…but we were next! And that’s the way it should be. It’s hard to say “Jim” without thinking his last name is “and Donna.” Mom always put dad and his work on a pedestal, but she made sure that we were loved and that what we were celebrating or struggling with was right at the top of the priority list.

3. Lots of chocolate was always around the house! (Yummmmmmy)

4. “Let’s think about this now.” I don’t know how many times I heard that phrase when I was struggling with something, but I would guess it was at least a billion. Mom always made us think through our problems and see that we could work through them if we would just put our mind to it. She truly believed in us.

5. Respect for others. It doesn’t matter is someone is young, old, white, black, rich, poor…or anything else. Mom always shows others respect and cares for them. She is beloved by children and elderly folks alike. Sadly, not many people can say that.

This list in no way is exhaustive, but it reflects some of the things I am thinking of today as I celebrate my mom on her birthday. She is truly a special lady (with emphasis on “lady”), and has many stars in her crown.

Happy birthday, mom….and thank you for all you have done and continue to do for me.

“Her children rise up and call her blessed.”

Mom speaking at one of her many ladies' engagements during the year.

Mini-Post: John Piper on Forgiveness

January 30, 2012 in Uncategorized with 1 Comment

This quote comes as a comment on Ephesians 4:32.

“A Christian call to forgive does not say: forgive in order to earn the forgiveness of God. It says forgive because you have been forgiven by God … Christian living moves from what God has freely done for us in Christ to what we should freely do for others. It is not the other way around.”

John Piper

Exposing the Dark World of Abortion, page 5

Lebanon Road Reading for January 29-February 4

January 29, 2012 in 2012 Bible Reading Schedules with 1 Comment

Months: January and February

Theme: 60-Day Overview of the Bible

This week’s daily readings:

Sunday, January 29: 2 Kings 17:1-41 …………………… Israel is Exiled

Monday, January 30: 2 Kings 25:1-30 ………………….. Jerusalem Falls

Tuesday, January 31: Ezra 1:1-11 & 6:1-22 ……………….. Rebuilding the Temple

Wednesday, February 1: Nehemiah 2:1-20 & 6:1-19 …………………… Walls of Jerusalem Rebuilt

Thursday, February 2: Esther 3:1-4:17 & 7:1-20 …………………… Esther’s Courage

Friday, February 3: Job 1:1-2:10 & 42:1-17 ……………….. Job’s Fall and Reward

Saturday, February 4: Psalm 23 & Psalm 51 ………………………. Psalms of Comfort

Note: This series has been adapted from Zondervan, as published at http://alextran.org/2007/11/25/23-bible-reading-plans-that-will-satisfy-anyone/.

The January 2012 10 : Links Roundup

January 27, 2012 in Links Roundups with 2 Comments

What a month!

I’ve heard people talk about certain times going by faster than others before. I thought I knew what that felt like, and then January 2012 happened. Whew! Just let it be sufficient to say that this month has flown by.

But enough about me. Let’s get to the links for the month.

1.  Time to look in the mirror a bit. Chris Gallagher wrote a short, but powerful post that I hope you will take to heart. It’s called “6 Reasons Why I Do Not Attend Your Congregation.”

2. I love my dad for a lot of reasons. One reason I love him is for his perspective on things. I think that really comes out in his article “Page Seventy-Eight.”

3. One of the major moral issues facing our country today, of course, is homosexuality. Neal Pollard wrote an excellent post that I hope every Christian will read. It’s called “What is God’s View Toward Homosexuality in 2012?”

4. I thought I would share another congregational culture article. This one is by my brother-in-law, Jeremiah Tatum. It’s called “Where Visitors Go to Die.”

5. Earlier this week, I wrote a response to the YouTube viral sensation about loving Jesus but hating religion. My dear friend, Daniel Gaines, wrote a much longer, but much more detailed response. It will take you a few minutes to work through, but you’ll be blessed for it. Here is his work.

TIME FOR A VIDEO BREAK. How about a contestant who should have just given up on this category on Jeopardy!

 

ENOUGH HUMOR (to quote a “Saved by the Bell” teacher). Back to the links

6. I thought this was a very thought-provoking devotional post. Jennifer Gerhardt writes, “Why I Don’t Want to be a Person Who Reads Her Bible.”

7. Here’s another good devotional post from Rick Kelly entitled “Is God Trying to Tell Me Something?”

8. Ever struggled to teach someone because you were trying to figure out their spiritual maturity level? You’ll enjoy Jeff Jenkins’ article, “We’re Not Fourth Graders!”

9. I love goal-setting, but I fail in too many goals. Michael Hyatt wrote a very helpful post that you need to read. It’s called “The Missing Ingredient in Most Goals.”

10. I recently taught a class on postmodernism. I wish this post had been up then, because it would have made a great conclusion to that class. It’s from Hugh Fulford, and it’s called “Can We Know Anything for Sure?”

WRAP UP TIME … yes, it’s Friday, and I’m in love!

Who knew that this song had been on a Disney cartoon? Well, now you do!!!

 

A Request for Blake Rader

January 26, 2012 in Uncategorized with 2 Comments

The outpouring of love and support for Blake Rader has been tremendous. Requests about his health have come from all over the world, and we continue to rally around this wonderful five-year-old boy!

One of the things that has been done is that two of our college students here at Lebanon Road have made bracelets for Blake. They are giving them away, but asking for donations that will be put into a fund to help the Raders when bills begin to come due. I know that over 1250 have been given away, and that’s probably a very low estimate.

This next week, Blake begins his chemo and radiation treatments. He is doing a lot better, but we all know that these treatments will knock him down for a while. One of the ways the family is keeping his spirits up is to show him how many people are praying for him, and the bracelets are a visible reminder of that.

So…

Michael and Connie (Blake’s parents) have a special request of all of us. He is asking that we all take pictures of our bracelets and post them to the Pray for Blake Facebook page. Michael and Connie will then show him all these pictures from time-to-time to help keep his spirits up.

If you do not have a Facebook account, you can email the pictures to me, and I will be glad to post them for you. His treatments start next week, and I see no reason why we shouldn’t have at least 300 pictures up by then. Will you help out?

Here’s our picture to start! (Thanks to Shane Williams for taking this picture and getting it to me for this post.)

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