Park Pics

I took the boys to the park the other day. Here's a pic or two.

The Older eventually hoisted the younger over.

Climbed the tree for this one.

Firsts

Okay so this is my very first posted video along with my very first posted song. I've wanted to post a song for a while now but couldn't figure out how. Then it hit me make a video with one. So I did. I thought this picture would look much better than me playing my guitar in a messy little apartment.

There is so much more I wanted to do with the video but maybe I can get to that later.

Enjoy!

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Don't Waste Your Life!

"The greatest cause in the world

is joyfully rescuing people from hell,

meeting their earthly needs,

making them glad in God,

and doing it with a kind, serious pleasure

that makes Christ look like the Treasure He is."

Challenge: What are you doing to let your life be of profit. By "of profit" I mean profitable to God. Not to your bank account, or your reputation, or even your friends and family. How are you being of profit to God. He redeemed you if you are a believer. He paid a price for you to be freed from slavery to sin so that you could be in service to Him. So... how have you profited you Master today. Did you read His love letter to you? Did you converse with Him? Did you tell another of his splendor and majesty?

Eat your wheaties people.

It's time to get busy.

What Do You Value?

Remember that lovely angelic friend that I mentioned in a post last month? Well, she was teaching our LiFE Kids class again last night and as usual I learned something even if the kids didn't. We've been going through the character of God with these kids for the past eight months or so and will soon be wrapping up for the summer break that our teachers enjoy and this year our kids will too. So far the teaching has been pretty easy to follow but last night the lesson was on God's being righteous while a large part of it focused on God's glory being valuable above all else. A day later, I'm not sure what the connection was but I'm sure it was evident last night.

Okay, so let's get down to the nitty gritty.

The thing that left an impression on me was something that Ms. C said as almost an Anacrusis or pick-up note to a main point. In speaking of a miracle of God she said something about not putting value on the miracle in place of God Himself. It struck me then that we (I) can find ourselves trusting in or placing an undo amount of value on that which God has done by not recocnizing the value of He who accomplished it.

The miracle that came to mind for me is the most amazing miracle that I've witnessed, my salvation. The changing of one's heart is truly a great act and can only be truly accomplished by God. The Creator of this vessel has every right and power necessary to do so while a loved one, parent, or spouse has neither. God is the Author and Accomplisher of Salvation. But am I trusting in what happened one night over a decade ago or the God who accomplished it? Do I place more value on what He has accomplished or He who had the power to do so?

My prayer is to know and trust the God of my salvation more and more so that I may value Him more...

and more

and more and more

and more and more and more

and more and more and more and more

and more and more and more and more and more

and more and more and more and more and more and more

and more and more and more and more and more and more and more

...

My Buddy

Two posts in one week! What was I thinking?

As a kid I had one of those "kid sister" dolls.

I have since grown up a little and have a new friend.

This is now "My Buddy."

Yeah! That Might Work!

I've decided to start something that might never happen again but now I have a tag for it just in case it does. This is a "Hey, That Just Might Work" post and it just might be the last but here it goes.

Today I was listening to NPR (how very libral of me). I do so occasionally to catch up on what the general American is thinking about stuff going on within and without our boarders and sometimes about our boarders (but that's another post). So today, on the way to work I heard a report on some stuff going on in Iraq (not unusual these days). This report was on a business man from the US meeting with Iraqi officals about setting up a theme park in Bagdad. Sounds crazy right?

Park Goer #1: "Hey, let's go ride the roller coaster one more
time before the city's power shuts down for the day."

Park Goer #2: "I think a bomb exploded on that side of the
park and it will take a while to adjust the railings. So let's get some dippin'
dots and head home. We'll miss curphew if we wait for the roller
coaster."

That's the funny side of the situation but there are seriously things that are practical about this. Think about it. When you go to your nearest theme park, who is it that's running the rides and all the consessions? Our nearest theme park employs the young for most of these. In Iraq it would mostly employ young men. They don't need much training to run the tea cups and without these jobs they might very well be building roadside bombs or shooting at Iraqi police and American Troops.

There are about five or six companies that are looking at Iraq as a fruitful business opportunity and their goal is, of coarse, to make money but a side effect that we can all agree is good is that Iraqi people will have jobs. Right now most people don't have anything to loose by joining those groups against democracy because they simply don't have anything. There's a huge amount of money that our government has used to "rebuild" Iraq but there hasn't been anything seen as a result of it. Maybe the ones responsible for spending it were not associated enough with its source and haven't been looking to make changes that are visible in the short term. But those with a business mindset may thrive where government has seemed to fail because they are very connected to these funds are going to make sure there are profits. They have a vested intrest that their pockets will be lined and as a result of that jobs will be provided.

Some may see this as just another thing that the US is trying to push on the Iraqi people. "Get them to embrace our version of captalism so that they can be dependant on our companies in place of our Forces." Think about it. Let's look at the theme park for instance. How many theme parks housed within a city have you been to where there aren't a dozen resturants within walking or driving distance? Consider the shop down the street from Sea World that has some very similar souviners at a fraction of the price. Potential local business owners will be drawn by location. "Hey, if we could set up our cafe near the theme park we could sell ginger tea to those idots who spent all day on the tilt-a-whirl."

Think of the possibilities.