We're crazy

Well, for those of you who don't know our family will be moving to Louisville, KY where I will begin attending Southern Seminary (www.sbts.edu) in Jan of 2009.

We have been pretty quiet about this for business purposes (I currently sell commercial real estate) and for church purposes (I am the youth minister at our church) but this has become public knowledge and so we wanted to let all 2 of our readers know:).

Our desire for the blog is for it to serve as a type of journal of our experiences so that you can know what's going down with us.

Words can't describe how excited and scared we are as I leave the "normal" workforce to go to school half way across the country on a fifth of my current income with 3 kiddos and a wife to support. That may sound crazy, and I guess it is...but we trust that God provides the means for the ends that He has ordained. The words of David reassure me, "I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread." Ps 37:25.

We are also very sad to be leaving some absolutely phenomenal friendships here in Lubbock. We trust that by God's grace our relationships will last as we seek to press on toward His calling.

Our move date is set for January 12th. Look for pictures and experiences to be blogged soon thereafter. (If you didn't know, Kentucky has these things called trees which are really pretty. Living in Lubbock I've only seen a few of these and I'm looking forward to the scenery)

Your prayers are appreciated.

I forgot to add this one to the last post.

And no, Levi is not standing up on his own.

Since I got a new camera, B.J. says I need to become an expert with it, so, yesterday I rounded up my best subjects and took some practice shots.

Well, I must say, I love my new camera.

The Boys

(I was playing with the color on this one.)

Little Boys!

Pictures of Levi

Where did a month go?

Ok, so I feel like we got bushwhacked. With the addition of our 3rd little rugrat Christin and I had to switch to zone defense instead of man to man and it's taking us a while to get back into the game. So for Christin's b-day several family members and I got together and bought her a smokin hot camera. Now to be honest we don't have a clue as to how to use the thing but it sure does look cool. Here are some pics, hope you enjoy and hopefully we blog before this time next month.

Our back yard. Pretty cool.
What a stud.
The scary thing is to think about when she's 16.

Preaching tomorrow

Tomorrow I have the opportunity to preach for the first time at "big church" shall we say. My preparation time this week has been a great time of worship. As tomorrow morning is quickly approaching I have been thinking about the weight preaching. It really is a priveledge and an honor to do this. So as I was thinking about this stuff I turned to my old dead friends, the Puritans, to see what they had to say about preaching. Enjoy.

"A Minister's Preaching"

My Master God,
I am desired to preach today,
but go weak and needy to my task;

Yet I long that people might be edified with divine truth,
that an honest testimony might be borne for thee;

Give me assistance in preaching and prayer,
with heart uplifted for grace and unction.

Present to my view things pertinent to my subject
with fullness of matter and clarity of thought,
proper expressions, fluency, fervency,
a feeling sense of the things I preach,
and grace to apply them to men's consciences.

Keep me conscious all the while of my own defects,
and let me not gloat in pride over my performance.

Help me to offer a testimony for thyself,
and to leave sinners inexscusable in neglecting thy mercy.

Give me freedom to open the sorrows of thy people,
and to set before them comforting considerations.

Attend with power the truth preached,
and awaken the attention of my slothful audience.

May thy people be refreshed, melted, convicted, comforted,
and help me to use the strongest arguments
drawn from Christ's incarnation and sufferings,
that men might be made holy.

I myself need thy support, comfort, strength, holiness,
that I might be a pure channel of thy grace,
and be able to do something for thee;

Give me then refreshment among thy people,
and help me not to treat excellent matter in a defective way,
or bear a broken testimony to so worthy a redeemer,
or be harsh in treating of Christ's death, its design and end,
from lack of warmth and fervency.

And keep me in tune with thee as I do this work.


Now I promise that I'm not going to preach in Elizabethan english but I am so encouraged when I read these guys. They were truly sold out. What I love about them is that their passion and joy was theologically informed. In today's Christendom, where we just want to get excited and have a good time at the expense of theological depth, these guys show that theological depth and joy in Christ is a "both/and" not an "eaither/or". So, may we press on in His Word and daily search the riches of Christ and by this we will experience joy and fulfillment on a daily basis.