Christmas Videos

This was the best Christmas we have ever had. You should have seen Riley's face when he saw the bike Santa left him in our living room. A squeal of joy came out of his mouth, then he started riding it from the living room to the kitchen and back. We went to Papa and Grandmas house later in the day and brought Riley's bike. Here is some video Papa took with his digital camera.

Cool Things God is Doing

God has been at work at Safeway for the past two nights. My supervisor got onto the topic of the Bible - he initiated it, I didn't. Well, that led me right into sharing the Gospel. If you know me, I will look to see how God is working in someone's life for the right timing to share the Gospel. God is definitely working with him. He keeps on talking about his conversations with one of the professors here at the seminary, even though it was years ago, and God is still using those conversations to bring him closer to becoming a child of God. He even got his wife to buy him a Bible he could understand and has the Bible on CD, he is most certainly searching for God. He did not yet come to a relationship with Christ, but he is so close, and last night he asked me why I chose to become a pastor. I was able to share my testimony with him and tried to show him that what God desires most from him is a relationship. God has really been focusing in on Jim and Jim may even come to church with me soon. Please pray for Jim as God has locked His sights on him.

Sawyer's second Christmas

This will be Sawyer's second Christmas and he will probably be more into the paper rather then the gifts. God blessed us with two great boys who keep us very very busy. Sawyer is toddling along and getting into everything that he can get his little hands on. Enjoy these pictures.

Riley's Christmas program

This past Thursday Jason and I had the chance to attend Riley's Christmas concert at school. We had snack with his class and then they sang some song's for us. They did a great job! Here are some pictures of the kids during their program. Riley has matured so much since starting this program. It is a class of all boys. The teacher is really great with the kids. We want to wish you all a Merry CHRISTmas and a blessed New year. Check back after Christmas for some Christmas pictures.

Chariots of Fire Christianity

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God created you to glorify Him, and He wants you to do that while having a relationship with Him. He created you with your own personality, your own interests and desires, and God wants you to glorify Him with those. Your desires and interests are most likely different than mine, and quite honestly it scares me when Christians look like clones of each other. God created you to be unique just like everybody else. So how do we take the desires, the dreams, and the personality that God gave us and use it to glorify Him? Hebrews 12:1 tells us:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

We need to turn from our sin and put our focus on Jesus. My race may be different from yours. My favorite thing to do is to tell people about Jesus - that is what I love to do; it's my passion and my desire. My friend Terry Cooper in Cut N' Shoot, TX is a biker. He LOVES his Harley - he even let me sit on it once. He and his wife love riding on his bike. For a few years they were even part of a Biker Ministry where they rode with the Bandidos and shared the Gospel with them. The cool thing about it is they were able to talk to more people about Jesus on the trips to biker rallies than at the actual biker rallies themselves.

Maybe you like to paint, maybe you like computer programing or web design. Maybe you like to act or sing or play sports, but as you are on your journey with God, shed the sin that so easily entangles and put your focus on Jesus Christ, then as you fulfill your passion, joy will come as you feel God's pleasure on you.

"Jennie...I believe God made me for a purpose. He also made me FAST. And when I run, I feel His pleasure..." - Eric Liddel, Chariots of Fire (1981)

Tea and Things

Riley and I went Christmas shopping for Mommy today and one of the places we stopped off at was a tea shop here in Cochrane. I couldn't wait ten days to give my wife her tea because it smelled so good, and of course I am drinking some right now. The type of tea that I got her is called Yoga. Now this isn't the cheap grocery store tea, this is high quality stuff that does not come in any tea bag. I bought a tin to put the tea in, and the tea will be good for two years in that tin! (I don't think it's going to stay there that long though.) Now, I'm not as sophisticated about tea as my friend Nick is, but I am starting to really get into it. So, as I'm drinking this tea, my stress is actually melting away - I haven't been this relaxed in months! So I need to thank my friend Nick for telling me about this tea shoppe that I will definitely go back to.

I can go on about how good this tea is, but there is something better in my life than tea - you guessed it -- God. I'm not going to go into details, but God has again provided for us that can only be explained as supernatural. It's amazing what happens when we pray. God has proven time and time again that He is our provider and through these amazing and undeserving acts of grace that He bestows upon us, He gently reminds us that He will take care of us in Medicine Hat also.

Thoughts on Scripture

Psalm 9:11-12 "Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted."

In two hours I have the awesome privilege of going to church, and I am embarrassingly curious at how many times I have gone to church and mumbled praises to my Lord and my God. How can I, as a child of His mumble praises to Him after all that He has done for me and my family? NO! Not this morning, this morning God will hear my praises, clearly - maybe a little tone deaf - but clearly!

Busyness, I believe, is a trap from the devil himself. I work 40 hours per week, and go to seminary, and live on the holy hill - separated from our community. I hate being separated from pre-Christians. I have a fire in my bones, much like Jeremiah the prophet did. I need to tell among the people what God has done for me and for them! I need to tell them they have an avenger - King Jesus! I need to tell them that sin killed them, but Jesus wants to give them new life! He is our avenger, and He is mindful of them.

You may be afflicted right now, by abuse, disease, poverty, or lack of love, but know this: God will not forget you if you cry out to Him. What better news can you get than the King of the universe is mindful of you? If you are reading this and you do not have a relationship with Jesus, the Lover of your soul, you need to know that no matter what you've done, or what's been done to you, there is One who wants to be your avenger. You are precious in His sight. He wants to give you a new life. If you want this new life, there is a small part you need to do.

1. Repent. This literally means to change your mind, do a 180 degree turn in your lifestyle - you were walking in the way of sin, now walk in the way of Jesus.

2. Let Jesus know right now that you want to belong to Him. This means that you want to live for Him by loving Him and doing what He commands, and His commands fall into 2 categories
a. Love God
b. Love people.