Sunday, February 1, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
My ministry...
Tonight we were in the church, and Eliana was carrying Andrew, and Andrew was looking at me and smiling. I thought, ¨How good and wonderful is God, because he has given us this precious gift, baby Andrew¨.
I want to be a good father. God has given Eliana and I a ministry, and that ministry is to our son. To love him, care for him, teach him, point him to Christ, to be a light in his life. God has to be first in my life, or my priorities will get mixed up. If I put make something else first in my life, then that will effect how I raise my son. When God is first in my life, I can have the wisdom and understanding and trust in God so that I can give my son the time, attention, love, and dedication that he needs. He needs us so much.
May I not worry about money, because if my eyes are on money, I will seek and seek after money, and not give much attention to my wife and son. I must be content with what God gives us. If I am seeking to have more than what God gives me, and I am not content, that will take me away from my wife and child. That will happen because I will spend my time making money, so that I can have those things. And even then when I am home with my wife and son, I will not feel like giving my attention to them. I can´t worry about money. God feeds the birds and they do not harvest or store up food in barns, but God loves his children more than birds, and so of course God will take care of us. God wants me to trust him. But if I do not trust him, I will worry and worry, and I am seeing this happen to many parents... that worrying about money, and seeking after material things will separate parents from their children.
My wife and child are the most important ministry that I will ever have. All other ministries that I am a part of must not be priority. My job must not be my priority. My responsibilities in the church must not be a priority. Internet or television must not be my priority, and I will tell you, satan would love for me to fall for that temptation, and put lots of time doing things on the internet or watching television, and less attention with my wife and son.
May God help me, and I know he will, because he hears my prayers. My wife and son, they need me so much... I must be there for them. I must be like a servant to my family, because Christ was like a servant to his disciples, and actually to all of us. I must be thinking about them, and not just about myself.
God wants us to put our eyes on Him, and not worry about the other things. God says that if we do that, He will give us the things that we need. God wants us to trust him, and that is why he has given us so many promises.. he wants us to believe that he will keep his word.
Their was a great crowd of people that came to see Jesus, and Jesus wanted to feed them all. There was more than 4,000 people! His disciples worried, and told Jesus there was no way they could get enough money to buy food for those people. They forgot who they were talking to. Jesus did a miracle, and provided enough bread and fish for all of them. And he can do the same for us. I want to stop worrying, and I want to remember Jesus. My wife and son need me to do that.
Thank you God, because you are our provider. Thank you God, because you want our eyes on you, so that we can put our time and attention where you want it. Thank you God, because you sacrificed your Son whom you love very much, so that we can be forgiven and saved. Thank you God, for this precious ministry you have given me, to love and serve my wife and child. God, help me to be a good father and husband.
I want to be a good father. God has given Eliana and I a ministry, and that ministry is to our son. To love him, care for him, teach him, point him to Christ, to be a light in his life. God has to be first in my life, or my priorities will get mixed up. If I put make something else first in my life, then that will effect how I raise my son. When God is first in my life, I can have the wisdom and understanding and trust in God so that I can give my son the time, attention, love, and dedication that he needs. He needs us so much.
May I not worry about money, because if my eyes are on money, I will seek and seek after money, and not give much attention to my wife and son. I must be content with what God gives us. If I am seeking to have more than what God gives me, and I am not content, that will take me away from my wife and child. That will happen because I will spend my time making money, so that I can have those things. And even then when I am home with my wife and son, I will not feel like giving my attention to them. I can´t worry about money. God feeds the birds and they do not harvest or store up food in barns, but God loves his children more than birds, and so of course God will take care of us. God wants me to trust him. But if I do not trust him, I will worry and worry, and I am seeing this happen to many parents... that worrying about money, and seeking after material things will separate parents from their children.
My wife and child are the most important ministry that I will ever have. All other ministries that I am a part of must not be priority. My job must not be my priority. My responsibilities in the church must not be a priority. Internet or television must not be my priority, and I will tell you, satan would love for me to fall for that temptation, and put lots of time doing things on the internet or watching television, and less attention with my wife and son.
May God help me, and I know he will, because he hears my prayers. My wife and son, they need me so much... I must be there for them. I must be like a servant to my family, because Christ was like a servant to his disciples, and actually to all of us. I must be thinking about them, and not just about myself.
God wants us to put our eyes on Him, and not worry about the other things. God says that if we do that, He will give us the things that we need. God wants us to trust him, and that is why he has given us so many promises.. he wants us to believe that he will keep his word.
Their was a great crowd of people that came to see Jesus, and Jesus wanted to feed them all. There was more than 4,000 people! His disciples worried, and told Jesus there was no way they could get enough money to buy food for those people. They forgot who they were talking to. Jesus did a miracle, and provided enough bread and fish for all of them. And he can do the same for us. I want to stop worrying, and I want to remember Jesus. My wife and son need me to do that.
Thank you God, because you are our provider. Thank you God, because you want our eyes on you, so that we can put our time and attention where you want it. Thank you God, because you sacrificed your Son whom you love very much, so that we can be forgiven and saved. Thank you God, for this precious ministry you have given me, to love and serve my wife and child. God, help me to be a good father and husband.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Andrew, Blue and YoYo.
YoYo is the orange monkey, and Blue is the other one. I often do skits with them, and YoYo is often worried about if Andrew has a dirty diaper. We find it funny, but if you don´t, atleast you get to see Andrew :)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Eliana told me this story today... she heard it on the radio.
A man was in a parking lot of a store, and pulled into a parking place. The man didn´t realize, but a woman was nearby in her car and wanting that parking place. The woman got out of her car, and yelled at that man for taking what she thought should have been her parking place. She cursed him, and insulted him, and used the foulest words.
The man was a Christian, but not just a Christian, this man was humble, and he had love. The man went into the store and made his purchases, and while paying, he said to the clerk ¨you see that woman? do not charge her for the things she is wanting to buy, put it all on my account¨. And the man left the store. The woman came to check out, and was ready to hand the clerk her money, but the clerk told her no, the man that was just here said to put it all on his account. The woman remembered everything she had said to him in the parking lot, and she felt horrible about it.
What happened to the woman? It is hard telling. But I doubt that woman will ever forget what that man did for her. It is not common for someone to return good for evil.
But thats what love does to a person. Instead of judgement, he gave grace. Instead of condemning, he blessed. And instead of hating her, he paid for her things, and very well may have changed her life. Why? Because in that man that woman caught a glimpse of the goodness and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
A man was in a parking lot of a store, and pulled into a parking place. The man didn´t realize, but a woman was nearby in her car and wanting that parking place. The woman got out of her car, and yelled at that man for taking what she thought should have been her parking place. She cursed him, and insulted him, and used the foulest words.
The man was a Christian, but not just a Christian, this man was humble, and he had love. The man went into the store and made his purchases, and while paying, he said to the clerk ¨you see that woman? do not charge her for the things she is wanting to buy, put it all on my account¨. And the man left the store. The woman came to check out, and was ready to hand the clerk her money, but the clerk told her no, the man that was just here said to put it all on his account. The woman remembered everything she had said to him in the parking lot, and she felt horrible about it.
What happened to the woman? It is hard telling. But I doubt that woman will ever forget what that man did for her. It is not common for someone to return good for evil.
But thats what love does to a person. Instead of judgement, he gave grace. Instead of condemning, he blessed. And instead of hating her, he paid for her things, and very well may have changed her life. Why? Because in that man that woman caught a glimpse of the goodness and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
a prayer
This is a prayer adapted by John Wesley. I made some changes, because it was written in that Old English, and is harder to understand, so maybe it is a bit easier now. It is not easy to give God permission to make us suffer, or to be poor, if that is what is best, and what God wants.
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Make me what you want, rank me with whoever you wish.
Put me to doing, put me through suffering.
Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine, and I am yours.
So be it.
There is a little more to this prayer, but I left out the last part, because I didn´t understand it.
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Make me what you want, rank me with whoever you wish.
Put me to doing, put me through suffering.
Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine, and I am yours.
So be it.
There is a little more to this prayer, but I left out the last part, because I didn´t understand it.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
they know God.
Today we went and visited a couple from the church. The woman gave birth to a baby boy about a week ago. We had never seen their house before, but another girl from the church showed us where it was at. Before we went, we had joy to give them a gift for their baby, and so we picked up some necessities (diapers, baby wipes). Their home is on the side of a mountain, and you have to climb stairs to get to it. I counted the steps, and there was 55, and they were tall steps.
Their home is not much, and probably most Americans would call it a shack, although it is what a lot of people live in here who have their homes on the mountains.
The woman did not have a regular birth, but they had to cut her tummy open, I forgot what that procedure is called. And so she has been in a lot of pain, but said today the pain is less. The husband was washing baby clothing. They do not have water in the house, so he was washing the clothes in tubs, while their other son (he is 13), went and got water from outside, and brought it into the house. He has been helping out a lot, since the mother cannot do much.
They were really glad for the gifts we brought them, and I now know why God gave us joy to do that... they needed those things.
I want to say something that might surprise you.... these people have a deep friendship with God. They are mature spiritually, and they know God much better than I do. I think a lot of people think that real Christians are blessed financially, and are never without anything. But that is not true. I think that some of the most loving, caring, humble Christians in the world materially have very little.
These people do not have much, and I think right now are dependent on God to give them all that they need, but they have something that is worth more than all the money in the world... God is first in their lives.
They did not have bread at the house, but the son went out, and brought some bread, and so we had coffee and bread, and it was quite good.
When I was there, I thought ¨it would be so hard to live here¨. No doubt their lives are not easy, but they have joy and love, and they are living their lives for God. How wonderful to have the honor of knowing people like that.
P.S., we put Andrew (he is 7 weeks) next to their baby boy (he is a week old), and it is incredible how much bigger Andrew is. They grow fast. Andrew was sleeping, but the other baby woke up, and seemed to be trying to look at Andrew, and was smiling.
Their home is not much, and probably most Americans would call it a shack, although it is what a lot of people live in here who have their homes on the mountains.
The woman did not have a regular birth, but they had to cut her tummy open, I forgot what that procedure is called. And so she has been in a lot of pain, but said today the pain is less. The husband was washing baby clothing. They do not have water in the house, so he was washing the clothes in tubs, while their other son (he is 13), went and got water from outside, and brought it into the house. He has been helping out a lot, since the mother cannot do much.
They were really glad for the gifts we brought them, and I now know why God gave us joy to do that... they needed those things.
I want to say something that might surprise you.... these people have a deep friendship with God. They are mature spiritually, and they know God much better than I do. I think a lot of people think that real Christians are blessed financially, and are never without anything. But that is not true. I think that some of the most loving, caring, humble Christians in the world materially have very little.
These people do not have much, and I think right now are dependent on God to give them all that they need, but they have something that is worth more than all the money in the world... God is first in their lives.
They did not have bread at the house, but the son went out, and brought some bread, and so we had coffee and bread, and it was quite good.
When I was there, I thought ¨it would be so hard to live here¨. No doubt their lives are not easy, but they have joy and love, and they are living their lives for God. How wonderful to have the honor of knowing people like that.
P.S., we put Andrew (he is 7 weeks) next to their baby boy (he is a week old), and it is incredible how much bigger Andrew is. They grow fast. Andrew was sleeping, but the other baby woke up, and seemed to be trying to look at Andrew, and was smiling.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Andrews gift from his Grandma Janet and Grandpa Randall.
Thanks you so much to the Grandparents for a beautiful toy monkey. Andrew will soon be playing with it.
I think that it will be his favorite toy.
I think that it will be his favorite toy.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Gas
Andrew sure does have trouble with gas, and especially during the nights and in the mornings, its hard to get him burped. He can´t get back to sleep, because he is uncomfortable. He does not really cry, we can just tell when he has gas. Eliana is especially concerned. Does anyone have any advice... maybe you had a baby that had the same problem? It seems he has more trouble with gas after taking breast milk, which seems odd, but it´s hard to tell what is causing it, and why it takes so long for the gas to come out of him.
We would love to hear your ideas.
We would love to hear your ideas.
Friday, January 2, 2009
¨Bamboo in Winter¨
Well that´s a weird title for a post, isn´t it?
It´s the title of a movie we watched New Years Eve. We were at the church all night because they had a service and activities there. Well I will get off the subject a bit.... Andrew slept pretty much the entire night, because he sleeps well when there is lots of noise and moving around. We had to wake him up so he would eat. We got to the house at about 6:15 a.m., and Eliana laid him on the bed, and wouldn´t you know it, he woke up. If he could talk I think he would have said ¨Good morning Mom, Good morning Dad, I am ready to eat and start my day¨.
Ok, back to the movie. ¨Bamboo in Winter¨ is a Christian movie. At the church they watched the movie in Spanish, but Eliana borrowed the DVD, and so today I was able to watch it in English, and understand much more.
It believe it takes place in China and is a true story. The film opens with a man that was a Christian, but no longer wishes to have anything to do with the faith. Him and his wife were arrested because they were Christians, and were tortured in horrible ways. They were tortured so that they would deny Christ. After some torture, the husband denied Christ. But the wife did not, although she suffered very much, and so they killed her.
They had a daughter, and this daughter is well educated, and I believe has studied much about Darwinism and Scientific Reason. A preacher comes to town, and she has a lot of hard questions for him. She does not understand how anybody could be saved because of a simple faith. The preacher is a very humble and simple man, and although he is very tired from his work, he always takes the time to walk with her, and answer her questions.
There is also men that hate Christianity, and are working to destroy that religious movement that is growing, one man in particular that is working to destroy Christianity in this town.
The daughter finds out that soldiers are being sent to arrest this preacher, and she goes and tells him, but he does not want to leave until the baptism is over that night.
So that night lots of people get together at a pond, and the preacher tells people about Christ, and asks if anybody wants to be baptized. Many people walk into the water to go to the preacher to be baptized, and this daughter does also.
And that is when the soldiers show up. The man that is pretty much in charge of destroying the church in that town is with the military. He tells the people to be calm, because the soldiers cannot do anything without his permission, and all they want is the preacher, and they will let everyone go. The preacher is in the water. The Christians do not wish to give up the preacher, and they start to sing a hymn, I believe it is ¨amazing grace¨, except in Chinese. And the Christians start going into the water, and get in a line, and they get on their knees, and so they are in between the soldiers and the preacher. Of course this upsets the military commander, and he wants this guy that is in charge to give permission so that the soldiers can go and beat the Christians in the water. So after some pressure, the guy gives permission, and the soldiers go with their clubs, and beat the Christians in the water, both young and old, men and woman. I don´t know what happened to them all, but I would imagine some died, and some were badly hurt. The preacher wanted to stay, and said he could not leave these people here, but the daughter said that these Christians are protecting him, and they are doing this all for Him so that they do not catch him. And so he runs to escape with this daughter.
But soon they catch up to them, and they arrest the preacher, and I imagine later he is killed. They let the daughter go. The daughter knows where this preacher had hid Bibles, and so she goes and gets them. She tells her father about everything, and of course the father does not want her to be a Christian because of what happened to her mother. But soon he allows her to go, and take the Bibles to where the preacher was going to be going next.
On her way out of town, she runs into the guy that is trying to destroy the church, and gave permission to the soldiers to beat the Christians with their clubs. The guy told her how this Christian faith is nothing, and that people need to look our for themselves, and not worry about others. He told her that if she leaves town, she will be giving up everything.
The daughter pointed to the nearby bamboo trees and says something like:
¨do you see those bamboo trees? They can go through the coldest winter, and through strong winds, and they can be cut down, but they will grow back stronger, and taller, and more full of life than before. But they do not grow individually, they grow as a body¨
She said that because Christians are the same. We may be persecuted, and hurt, and killed, and yet through all the pain and suffering, the church is strengthened and is more full of life than before. The church grows stronger as a body.
She then gave that man a Bible, and he took it. I know he was full of guilt because of how he gave permission to the soldiers to attack the Christians.
And so the daughter leaves town, and I believe God is using her to take the place of the preacher.
Before the preacher was arrested, one of the daughters questions to him was ¨when they arrest and kill you, who will be there to take your place¨, and he said ¨God raises people up to do that¨.
So that is about it. The daughter also had a grandmother that was a Christian, and that grandmother was expecting a miracle to happen, and the daughter thought the grandmother was wanting to be healed because she had health problems. And so after the grandmother passed away, the daughter doubted that Christianity was true because that miracle did not happen. But the father then told her ¨your grandmother was not praying to be healed... the miracle that your grandmother was wanting was for you to know God, and serve God like your mother did before she was killed¨. And so that miracle happened, and the daughter believed and was saved, and began to serve God. Her heart had been changed, and her eyes were opened.
If you don´t watch the movie, I hope you enjoyed reading about it. And if you do watch the movie, I hope I did not ruin it for you by writing about it.
There is so many worldly movies and shows on the television. We as Christians have to be very careful about what we allow to enter our minds and hearts. Do we want to grow in Christ? I used to watch all sorts of stuff on T.V. and in movies, but now I don´t want that, because I know it hurts me. It is sin to find entertaining the things that God hates. And if we don´t do it for ourselves, we should do it for our families, because they will watch that stuff also.
So this movie is different, and you can watch the movie with the hope of being built up, and to grow.
One thing I would like to mention, Christians are baptized in water in the movie, and I know that many people believe that water baptism is a requirement in order to be saved. Jesus Christ commands those who believe to then be baptized in water, but it is not so we can be saved. The Bible is very clear that we are saved by the grace of God through faith, and not from works. We can do nothing to be saved. Salvation is a free gift from God, and if someone believes, it is because God has shown Christ to that person, and given that person to Christ. Salvation is God´s business, not ours. If we have been saved, we have nothing to brag about, because we have done nothing, and God has done everything. We were chosen by God because it was what God wanted, and not because of anything that we have done.
The thief that was crucified with Jesus looked over to Jesus as he was hanging on the cross and basicly said ¨remember me when you are in your Kingdom¨. That thief believed. That thief took responsibility for his sin, and looked to Jesus Christ for help. That thief knew he was going to die, and that his soul would not be saved unless Jesus Christ saved him. God had opened that thief´s mind so he could understand, and his eyes were opened so that he saw that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world.
It´s the title of a movie we watched New Years Eve. We were at the church all night because they had a service and activities there. Well I will get off the subject a bit.... Andrew slept pretty much the entire night, because he sleeps well when there is lots of noise and moving around. We had to wake him up so he would eat. We got to the house at about 6:15 a.m., and Eliana laid him on the bed, and wouldn´t you know it, he woke up. If he could talk I think he would have said ¨Good morning Mom, Good morning Dad, I am ready to eat and start my day¨.
Ok, back to the movie. ¨Bamboo in Winter¨ is a Christian movie. At the church they watched the movie in Spanish, but Eliana borrowed the DVD, and so today I was able to watch it in English, and understand much more.
It believe it takes place in China and is a true story. The film opens with a man that was a Christian, but no longer wishes to have anything to do with the faith. Him and his wife were arrested because they were Christians, and were tortured in horrible ways. They were tortured so that they would deny Christ. After some torture, the husband denied Christ. But the wife did not, although she suffered very much, and so they killed her.
They had a daughter, and this daughter is well educated, and I believe has studied much about Darwinism and Scientific Reason. A preacher comes to town, and she has a lot of hard questions for him. She does not understand how anybody could be saved because of a simple faith. The preacher is a very humble and simple man, and although he is very tired from his work, he always takes the time to walk with her, and answer her questions.
There is also men that hate Christianity, and are working to destroy that religious movement that is growing, one man in particular that is working to destroy Christianity in this town.
The daughter finds out that soldiers are being sent to arrest this preacher, and she goes and tells him, but he does not want to leave until the baptism is over that night.
So that night lots of people get together at a pond, and the preacher tells people about Christ, and asks if anybody wants to be baptized. Many people walk into the water to go to the preacher to be baptized, and this daughter does also.
And that is when the soldiers show up. The man that is pretty much in charge of destroying the church in that town is with the military. He tells the people to be calm, because the soldiers cannot do anything without his permission, and all they want is the preacher, and they will let everyone go. The preacher is in the water. The Christians do not wish to give up the preacher, and they start to sing a hymn, I believe it is ¨amazing grace¨, except in Chinese. And the Christians start going into the water, and get in a line, and they get on their knees, and so they are in between the soldiers and the preacher. Of course this upsets the military commander, and he wants this guy that is in charge to give permission so that the soldiers can go and beat the Christians in the water. So after some pressure, the guy gives permission, and the soldiers go with their clubs, and beat the Christians in the water, both young and old, men and woman. I don´t know what happened to them all, but I would imagine some died, and some were badly hurt. The preacher wanted to stay, and said he could not leave these people here, but the daughter said that these Christians are protecting him, and they are doing this all for Him so that they do not catch him. And so he runs to escape with this daughter.
But soon they catch up to them, and they arrest the preacher, and I imagine later he is killed. They let the daughter go. The daughter knows where this preacher had hid Bibles, and so she goes and gets them. She tells her father about everything, and of course the father does not want her to be a Christian because of what happened to her mother. But soon he allows her to go, and take the Bibles to where the preacher was going to be going next.
On her way out of town, she runs into the guy that is trying to destroy the church, and gave permission to the soldiers to beat the Christians with their clubs. The guy told her how this Christian faith is nothing, and that people need to look our for themselves, and not worry about others. He told her that if she leaves town, she will be giving up everything.
The daughter pointed to the nearby bamboo trees and says something like:
¨do you see those bamboo trees? They can go through the coldest winter, and through strong winds, and they can be cut down, but they will grow back stronger, and taller, and more full of life than before. But they do not grow individually, they grow as a body¨
She said that because Christians are the same. We may be persecuted, and hurt, and killed, and yet through all the pain and suffering, the church is strengthened and is more full of life than before. The church grows stronger as a body.
She then gave that man a Bible, and he took it. I know he was full of guilt because of how he gave permission to the soldiers to attack the Christians.
And so the daughter leaves town, and I believe God is using her to take the place of the preacher.
Before the preacher was arrested, one of the daughters questions to him was ¨when they arrest and kill you, who will be there to take your place¨, and he said ¨God raises people up to do that¨.
So that is about it. The daughter also had a grandmother that was a Christian, and that grandmother was expecting a miracle to happen, and the daughter thought the grandmother was wanting to be healed because she had health problems. And so after the grandmother passed away, the daughter doubted that Christianity was true because that miracle did not happen. But the father then told her ¨your grandmother was not praying to be healed... the miracle that your grandmother was wanting was for you to know God, and serve God like your mother did before she was killed¨. And so that miracle happened, and the daughter believed and was saved, and began to serve God. Her heart had been changed, and her eyes were opened.
If you don´t watch the movie, I hope you enjoyed reading about it. And if you do watch the movie, I hope I did not ruin it for you by writing about it.
There is so many worldly movies and shows on the television. We as Christians have to be very careful about what we allow to enter our minds and hearts. Do we want to grow in Christ? I used to watch all sorts of stuff on T.V. and in movies, but now I don´t want that, because I know it hurts me. It is sin to find entertaining the things that God hates. And if we don´t do it for ourselves, we should do it for our families, because they will watch that stuff also.
So this movie is different, and you can watch the movie with the hope of being built up, and to grow.
One thing I would like to mention, Christians are baptized in water in the movie, and I know that many people believe that water baptism is a requirement in order to be saved. Jesus Christ commands those who believe to then be baptized in water, but it is not so we can be saved. The Bible is very clear that we are saved by the grace of God through faith, and not from works. We can do nothing to be saved. Salvation is a free gift from God, and if someone believes, it is because God has shown Christ to that person, and given that person to Christ. Salvation is God´s business, not ours. If we have been saved, we have nothing to brag about, because we have done nothing, and God has done everything. We were chosen by God because it was what God wanted, and not because of anything that we have done.
The thief that was crucified with Jesus looked over to Jesus as he was hanging on the cross and basicly said ¨remember me when you are in your Kingdom¨. That thief believed. That thief took responsibility for his sin, and looked to Jesus Christ for help. That thief knew he was going to die, and that his soul would not be saved unless Jesus Christ saved him. God had opened that thief´s mind so he could understand, and his eyes were opened so that he saw that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
love, love, love!!! :)
First of all, the love I have is little compared to what God wants me to have...
But still, I want to say a few things, because God has shown me some things...
It is when we have love that we have understanding and knowledge. Without love, we do not understand things correctly.... well maybe worldly things we do, but not spiritual things. With love, our eyes are opened so that we can understand. Without love, we will not really understand the scriptures. We may have a head knowledge of them, but love causes us to really understand. And love comes from God.
The Bible says to think and act like Jesus Christ. Many think that is impossible, and I would say it is impossible, but what is impossible for man is possible for God. So God can do that in us, and make us think and act like Jesus Christ. To transform our hearts. And to have a heart like Christ´s is to have a heart full of love and grace.
It is amazing to me how different things really are than how the world understands them. Everything is different. How God see´s things is so different, and that is so good.
Without love, I am nothing. But with love, then I am useful to God. Obedience to God is impossible with a cold heart, but when we love, we are living a life obedient to God. But there is a difference between the worlds view of love and God´s love. God´s love is not self seeking, but the worlds love is self seeking. Self seeking love is not what God wants for us. 1 Corinthians 13 describes God´s love.
Love motivated the samaritan to help the man laying on the side of the road. Love motivated Paul to risk his life to tell other nations about Jesus Christ. And most of all, God demonstrated his love to the world when He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins, so that we may be saved by believing in Him. It was love that motivated God to send Jesus, and it is love that motivated Jesus to go to Jerusalem, knowing what would happen to them there. None of us will ever really understand what Christ went through for us. Yes, many people have been crucified like Jesus was, but Jesus took God´s wrath for us. He was innocent, yet carried our sin. He was innocent, and yet was punished. Our sin put him there. Yours and mine. But Christ is a live again, and we will all one day stand in front of Him. By raising from the dead, Christ showed us that death is not an end.
I believe it is by understanding God´s incredible grace that causes us to love. I heard about a Christian that always said ¨God, keep me near the cross¨. I think we all need to stay near the cross, because we need to remember what happened there. I think when we forget about Jesus, our hearts begin to go cold. I believe when our eyes are on Jesus and his sacrifice for us, love and grace flows into our hearts, and the love that God has shown us, we can then show it to others.
May God do these things in me, and you. But it will be God that does it in us, and not of ourselves. It will be by the grace of God. Everything that is good is by the grace of God. If you see something good in me, God did that in me out of His grace. If you see something bad in me, that is my fault, and my sin. And so I am glad that God is full of grace, because I am forgiven, and God continues to work to change me to be like His Son, and He will continue until that work is finished in me.
I was reading a blog that Jenny wrote about in her blog, and it is called ¨bring the rain¨. It is dedicated to the womans daughter who died a few hours after being born. It is called ¨bring the rain¨ because... well that is from a song, and so here is some lyrics of the song, and that will explain it... It is from Mercy Me, Bring the Rain.
¨and I know there´ll be days when this life brings me pain,
but if thats what it takes to praise you Jesus, bring the rain¨.
Bring the rain, give us patience when we have to suffer, but when it is over, may we see you like never before, and may we praise you...
But still, I want to say a few things, because God has shown me some things...
It is when we have love that we have understanding and knowledge. Without love, we do not understand things correctly.... well maybe worldly things we do, but not spiritual things. With love, our eyes are opened so that we can understand. Without love, we will not really understand the scriptures. We may have a head knowledge of them, but love causes us to really understand. And love comes from God.
The Bible says to think and act like Jesus Christ. Many think that is impossible, and I would say it is impossible, but what is impossible for man is possible for God. So God can do that in us, and make us think and act like Jesus Christ. To transform our hearts. And to have a heart like Christ´s is to have a heart full of love and grace.
It is amazing to me how different things really are than how the world understands them. Everything is different. How God see´s things is so different, and that is so good.
Without love, I am nothing. But with love, then I am useful to God. Obedience to God is impossible with a cold heart, but when we love, we are living a life obedient to God. But there is a difference between the worlds view of love and God´s love. God´s love is not self seeking, but the worlds love is self seeking. Self seeking love is not what God wants for us. 1 Corinthians 13 describes God´s love.
Love motivated the samaritan to help the man laying on the side of the road. Love motivated Paul to risk his life to tell other nations about Jesus Christ. And most of all, God demonstrated his love to the world when He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins, so that we may be saved by believing in Him. It was love that motivated God to send Jesus, and it is love that motivated Jesus to go to Jerusalem, knowing what would happen to them there. None of us will ever really understand what Christ went through for us. Yes, many people have been crucified like Jesus was, but Jesus took God´s wrath for us. He was innocent, yet carried our sin. He was innocent, and yet was punished. Our sin put him there. Yours and mine. But Christ is a live again, and we will all one day stand in front of Him. By raising from the dead, Christ showed us that death is not an end.
I believe it is by understanding God´s incredible grace that causes us to love. I heard about a Christian that always said ¨God, keep me near the cross¨. I think we all need to stay near the cross, because we need to remember what happened there. I think when we forget about Jesus, our hearts begin to go cold. I believe when our eyes are on Jesus and his sacrifice for us, love and grace flows into our hearts, and the love that God has shown us, we can then show it to others.
May God do these things in me, and you. But it will be God that does it in us, and not of ourselves. It will be by the grace of God. Everything that is good is by the grace of God. If you see something good in me, God did that in me out of His grace. If you see something bad in me, that is my fault, and my sin. And so I am glad that God is full of grace, because I am forgiven, and God continues to work to change me to be like His Son, and He will continue until that work is finished in me.
I was reading a blog that Jenny wrote about in her blog, and it is called ¨bring the rain¨. It is dedicated to the womans daughter who died a few hours after being born. It is called ¨bring the rain¨ because... well that is from a song, and so here is some lyrics of the song, and that will explain it... It is from Mercy Me, Bring the Rain.
¨and I know there´ll be days when this life brings me pain,
but if thats what it takes to praise you Jesus, bring the rain¨.
Bring the rain, give us patience when we have to suffer, but when it is over, may we see you like never before, and may we praise you...
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Hello
My mom will be glad to see these when she gets home from the hospital. She had gallbladder surgery, and then had some complications, so had to spend some time in the hospital, but might be home tomorrow.
The first photos are the most recent, although all these were taken since I posted the last photos. We took photos by the Christmas tree, but it was actually after Christmas. Things are going well. Andrew has some bumps on the sides of his neck and one on the side of his head. It feels like tiny peas under his skin. We went to the doctor, and he said it is normal, and I think he also said that he may have him on other parts of his body, and not to be worried. We know he is a good doctor, and were glad to hear that. He told Eliana that he can tell that she takes good care of Andrew, and he was glad to see that, because he said many parents do not. And that is true, my wife is a wonderful mother (and a wonderful wife).
Andrew continues to eat and eat. He is growing, and is about to go into size M diapers. He sure is a blessing to us.
The first photos are the most recent, although all these were taken since I posted the last photos. We took photos by the Christmas tree, but it was actually after Christmas. Things are going well. Andrew has some bumps on the sides of his neck and one on the side of his head. It feels like tiny peas under his skin. We went to the doctor, and he said it is normal, and I think he also said that he may have him on other parts of his body, and not to be worried. We know he is a good doctor, and were glad to hear that. He told Eliana that he can tell that she takes good care of Andrew, and he was glad to see that, because he said many parents do not. And that is true, my wife is a wonderful mother (and a wonderful wife).
Andrew continues to eat and eat. He is growing, and is about to go into size M diapers. He sure is a blessing to us.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Have a good Christmas
Well we are about to celebrate Christmas, and it is Andrews first. We are going through the process of being able to make a trip to the United States. I know that my mom and dad are so excited to see Andrew and also Eliana, and me too. So family, get ready, because God willing, we will soon be making a trip up there.
This Christmas, may we know Jesus more. Those of us that will see Jesus as he really is, our breath will be taken away at his beauty and our eyes will shine as we behold his glory. He came down from Heaven, and took his sin upon him, and was punished and killed for it. But he will return soon. We are all sinners, and in need of a Savior. Lets call out to Jesus, because he is the only way we can be saved. He is full of grace and mercy and love, and he is so good. I am not saying that because others say it... I am experiencing it myself, and wish to know Jesus more and more. It is so amazing and wonderful how good God is.
This Christmas, may we know Jesus more. Those of us that will see Jesus as he really is, our breath will be taken away at his beauty and our eyes will shine as we behold his glory. He came down from Heaven, and took his sin upon him, and was punished and killed for it. But he will return soon. We are all sinners, and in need of a Savior. Lets call out to Jesus, because he is the only way we can be saved. He is full of grace and mercy and love, and he is so good. I am not saying that because others say it... I am experiencing it myself, and wish to know Jesus more and more. It is so amazing and wonderful how good God is.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
update
- Andrew is growing and growing. Before long he will outgrow his smallest clothing.
- A doctor said it is good that Andrew is going through 7 diapers a day, because that means he is getting plenty of milk. Well this last package of 56 diapers, I believe he went through it in 5 days. So that is how many, 11 a day?
- He is eating and eating. I now understand that breast feeding is much more difficult then giving formula. It takes much more time. I would like to say that Andrew is consistent to feed every 2 hours, but often it is every hour. But during the night he seems to be consistent at every 2 hours. And sometimes he really gets to sleeping, and won´t eat for more than 3 hours.
- He likes to be carried. Well not just carried, but likes when I walk with him. When he starts getting fussy, and will pick him up, and walk around the house, and he likes that. But as soon as I sit down, he is crying, usually because he wants fed. He likes when we have to go to different places. We our beginning all the paperwork, and all the stuff we have to do to be able to visit the United States. So he likes that because I am carrying him and walking, and he likes to be in the buses, because there is movement.
- He loves his mother. Of course nobody knows how to take care of him like Eliana, because she has the mothers touch. She sings to him, and always knows what to do.
- I am so excited about being able to see the United States again. I will love the thought of showing Eliana my country. Everything will be new to her. She has never seen snow. It will be so cold in Iowa, and I imagine that will be hard for her. She has never experienced cold like there is in Iowa. Pretty much all the food will be new to her, although I know she will be glad to cook some Peruvian food, so family can try that. Peru has some really delicious food, and Eliana is a good cook. She is used to living in the middle of a big concrete city, so seeing the wide open country in Iowa, and Kansas, and Oklahoma will be a change for her, but I think she will really like it. It is not easy to go to a new country where people speak a different language. I know how hard it is, because I have done it. After my first trip to Peru, I remember saying that it was the hardest 3 weeks of my life, but at the same time the most blessed 3 weeks.
- I hope everyone has a good Christmas. Christmas in Peru is also celebrated on the 25th. But here, people also celebrate by setting off fireworks, and do the fireworks on New Years Eve also. But with all the homes being brick and concrete, you can´t set them on fire. I told Eliana that when my family gets together at someones house, they will clean it before they leave. Eliana thought that was a wonderful idea, and so Eliana is wanting to make that a new tradition here. While in a bus, we passed by a big sign that read ¨Christmas here is about Jesus¨.
- A doctor said it is good that Andrew is going through 7 diapers a day, because that means he is getting plenty of milk. Well this last package of 56 diapers, I believe he went through it in 5 days. So that is how many, 11 a day?
- He is eating and eating. I now understand that breast feeding is much more difficult then giving formula. It takes much more time. I would like to say that Andrew is consistent to feed every 2 hours, but often it is every hour. But during the night he seems to be consistent at every 2 hours. And sometimes he really gets to sleeping, and won´t eat for more than 3 hours.
- He likes to be carried. Well not just carried, but likes when I walk with him. When he starts getting fussy, and will pick him up, and walk around the house, and he likes that. But as soon as I sit down, he is crying, usually because he wants fed. He likes when we have to go to different places. We our beginning all the paperwork, and all the stuff we have to do to be able to visit the United States. So he likes that because I am carrying him and walking, and he likes to be in the buses, because there is movement.
- He loves his mother. Of course nobody knows how to take care of him like Eliana, because she has the mothers touch. She sings to him, and always knows what to do.
- I am so excited about being able to see the United States again. I will love the thought of showing Eliana my country. Everything will be new to her. She has never seen snow. It will be so cold in Iowa, and I imagine that will be hard for her. She has never experienced cold like there is in Iowa. Pretty much all the food will be new to her, although I know she will be glad to cook some Peruvian food, so family can try that. Peru has some really delicious food, and Eliana is a good cook. She is used to living in the middle of a big concrete city, so seeing the wide open country in Iowa, and Kansas, and Oklahoma will be a change for her, but I think she will really like it. It is not easy to go to a new country where people speak a different language. I know how hard it is, because I have done it. After my first trip to Peru, I remember saying that it was the hardest 3 weeks of my life, but at the same time the most blessed 3 weeks.
- I hope everyone has a good Christmas. Christmas in Peru is also celebrated on the 25th. But here, people also celebrate by setting off fireworks, and do the fireworks on New Years Eve also. But with all the homes being brick and concrete, you can´t set them on fire. I told Eliana that when my family gets together at someones house, they will clean it before they leave. Eliana thought that was a wonderful idea, and so Eliana is wanting to make that a new tradition here. While in a bus, we passed by a big sign that read ¨Christmas here is about Jesus¨.
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