The "Seeker-Sensitive" Video

This is a "seeker-sensitive" video. This is intended to exalt and be sensitive to the ONE AND ONLY seeker: Jesus Christ who is come in the flesh; the one who has "come to seek and save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10)

Looking Back

The hottest fire is made by the wood you chop yourself.

Looking Back - John Calvin

"...we allow that man has choice and that it is self-determined, so that if he does anything evil, it should be imputed to him and to his own voluntary choosing. We do away with coercion and force, because this contradicts the nature of the will and cannot coexist with it. We deny that choice is free, because through man's innate wickedness it is of necessity driven to what is evil and cannot seek anything but evil. And from this it is possible to deduce what a great difference there is between necessity and coercion. For we do not say that man is dragged unwillingly into sinning, but that because his will is corrupt he is held captive under the yoke of sin and therefore of necessity will in an evil way. For where there is bondage, there is necessity. But it makes a great difference whether the bondage is voluntary or coerced. We locate the necessity to sin precisely in corruption of the will, from which follows that it is self-determined.

~ John Calvin from Bondage and Liberation of the Will, pg. 69-70

Life is short

Life is short:

• "Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (James 4:13-17)
  
  
• "For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." (Psalms 90:7-12)

Looking Back - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Katrina and Grandpa Great

Today is Katrina's birthday; she is 2 years old. She is such a blessing to us. God is good. Here's a video of Katrina with Grandpa Great the day before he left us here in Oregon. (The video is not very good quality but still a good one)

As the Home Goes, So Goes the Church...

Good Video on Ron Paul for President

Congressman Paul's consistent voting record prompted one of his congressional colleagues to say, "Ron Paul personifies the Founding Fathers' ideal of the citizen-statesman. He makes it clear that his principles will never be compromised, and they never are." Another colleague observed, "There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles. Ron Paul is one of those few."

Artificial Shelter

I just started teaching the high school kids (Kaila, Karissa, David, Destiny and Alex) today. We are going to meet for 3 hours a day 5 days a week and go through an intense curriculum. It is going to be so awesome teaching and learning with them! The curriculum is called "Omnibus I."

Here's a good quote from the Preface written by Douglas Wilson:

• "It is not possible to live in this world faithfully without coming into conflict with those who have no desire to live faithfully. The task of the Christian parent bringing children up to maturity in such a world is to do it in a way that equips. False protection, precisely because it does not equip, leaves a child defenseless when the inevitable day comes when that artificial shelter is removed. True protection equips. We do not want to build a fortress for our students to hide in; we want to give them a shield to carry - along with a sword."

Looking Back - Quote of the Day

"Don't be afraid of opposition - a kite rises best against the wind."

~ Author Unknown

Looking Back - Quote of the Day

The world says, "Show me and I'll believe." Christ says, "Believe me and I'll show you."
~ Author Unknown

Looking Back - C.S. Lewis

“When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but incresased.”
~ C.S. Lewis

Looking Back - Quote of the Day

"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors."
Author Unknown

Mental Health Hotline

Lookng Back - Robert Murray M'Cheyne

"Some of you have truly been brought by God to believe in Jesus. Yet you have no abiding peace, and very little growth in holiness. Why is this? It is because your eye is fixed anywhere but on Christ. You are so busy looking at books, or looking at men, or looking at the world, that you have no time, no heart, for looking at Christ. No wonder you have little peace and joy in believing. No wonder you live so inconsistent and unholy a life. Change your plan. Consider the greatness and glory of Christ, who has undertaken all in the stead of sinners, and you would find it quite impossible to walk in darkness, or to walk in sin. Oh, what low, despicable thoughts you have of the glorious Immanuel! Lift your eyes from your own bosom, downcast believer - look upon Jesus. It is good to consider your ways, but it is far better to consider Jesus. Oh, believer, consider Jesus. Meditate on these things. Look and look again, until your peace flows like a river."

Noah - The little Tony Stewart fan

Looking Back - St. Thomas Aquinas

'If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.'
~ St. Thomas Aquinas

Looking Back - Martin Luther

"Oh, my dear brother, learn to know Christ and Him crucified. Learn to sing a new song; to despair of previous work, and to cry to Him, Lord Jesus, Thou art my righteousness, and I am Thy sin. Thou hast taken on Thee what was mine, and given to me what is Thine. What I was, Thou becamest, that I might be what I was not. Christ dwells only with sinners. Meditate often on this love of Christ, and you will taste its sweetness."
Martin Luther

Looking Back

Works not rooted in God are splendid sins.
-Augustine

Looking Back

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered."
G.K. Chesterton