Monday, December 31, 2012

Your Prayers Are Needed and Appreciated

Everyone, 

It's been quite some time since any of us have written anything, but I wanted to write today simply to share what has occurred this past week. I raised awareness with all of you a few months ago about the journey my sister and her husband have been on and the adoption process that they were going through. Well, this past week this process presented a very unexpected challenge that I wanted to write about a couple of days ago, but I'm still trying to process it all. However, my sister did go ahead and decide to write about it and so I desperately wanted to share it with all of you. I just truly desire the prayers of faithful men and women of God to heal hearts and to restore the hope we have that God has joy waiting on us. Please read below:

"God saw you getting tired, a cure not meant to be.  So He put his arms around you and whispered, “Come with me.”  With tearful eyes we watched you and saw you fade away, although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay.  A golden heart stopped beating, your tender hands at rest.  God took you home to prove to us He only takes the best."... continue reading here


Thursday, November 8, 2012

Laminin (please watch if you haven't only 6 min)


















Pretty cool to see how God shows Himself down to the core of our being in case we didn't already know how amazing and awe inspiring He is.

- Andrew

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Suffering

Hebrews is packed with encouraging verses in regards to life's trials & tribulations. We all have experienced them, and will continue to do so. I can honesty say in my journey with Jesus that my greatest, most difficult moments have brought me closer to Him. Not for a quick fix but to actually look inside myself and reflect. My prayers increase, I seek out wisdom from brothers, and the result is an indescribable amount of peace when things around me seem out of control. But more times than not I mess that up, and I try to take over. Because I think my life should go the way I want it.... Sound familiar?

You will see and hear the gospel proclaimed in many shapes and forms these days. The most popular is that God wants you to be healthy, happy, and successful. It becomes about YOU and not Jesus. It sells books, gets downloads, and feels good! But how come when I pick up my Bible I read a different message?

"Although he was his son, he learned obedience through what he suffered." Heb 5:8

"...for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world." Heb 9:26

"So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood." Heb 13:12

These are just out of the book of Hebrews. My aim with this post is not to discourage but encourage! Brothers, sisters, be encouraged! God sent His son to die on the cross for YOU! The greatest gift that you can ever receive. The gift of salvation. But why are we walking around with our heads down!? We won! Christ paid it, stamped it, walked it off. Yes, life is a challenge, but count it all joy when some adversity comes your way. He prescribes it. He knows what you can handle, and when to push you. Change your mind set and look to Him for rest. Cast your burdens on Him. He's good for that, He promises that.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."-Matthew 11:28

Lets live out lives that demonstrate that belief. Because that life is appealing to others. They want that, heck I want that! That's life with Jesus. Knowing with all your heart, no matter what you bring me Lord, I know I'm gonna make it through. Because I have You, what else do I need!?

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Heb 12:11

For the moment it seems painful, but later it yields peaceful fruit. 

If God is molding my messed up self to be more like Jesus through adversity, I guess I should submit to that. Because last time I checked, Jesus was a pretty cool dude. Be encouraged!


Blake Hawksworth

Thursday, November 1, 2012

In Chirst

My pastor is in the middle of a series entitled Free. Basically the main point is that we were "in Adam" when he sinned, and we were "in Christ" when He died for our sins. So in Adam we were dead to sin and in Christ we were freed of the power of sin. Sometimes it is easier for me to believe that I was born a sinner than to believe that I was set free from sin when I became a Christian. This sermon has really opened my eyes to the fact that the power of the cross is exponentially more powerful than the sin of one mortal man. Sin is not my master and just speaking this truth over my life all throughout the day reminds me of that.


Romans 5:15
"But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did Gods grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Holy Spirit


The Holy Spirit is the often misunderstood eternal third person of the Trinity.  He is seen in the beginning of creation “hovering over the face of the waters” and is often referred to throughout the Old Testament as the “Spirit of God.” Today, the Holy Spirit is the promised Helper who is actually more noticeably present with us than the other two members of the Trinity.

Although the Holy Spirit is a spiritual being, he is not some impersonal force but rather a real person like the Father and Son. He “engages in moral actions and ministries that can be performed only by a person” such as revealing, illuminating, regenerating, guiding, sanctifying, and interceding. These acts of the Spirit are the means by which he manifests the active presence of God in the world, and especially in the church. This particular manifestation within the church can be seen through the granting of specific spiritual gifts to believers by God through the Holy Spirit.

A spiritual gift is a gift given and entrusted to us by God at conversion to serve the body of Christ wherever and however he may direct. The Holy Spirit apportions these spiritual gifts through his wisdom and sovereignty knowing “best what is needed by the body and what best fits each believer for service.” Every believer has at least one spiritual gift, but no believer has all the gifts either so that we must all rely on one another to function efficiently as the body of Christ. As we humbly surrender control of our lives to the work and authority of the Holy Spirit, we should develop a set of qualities that reflect the character of God (Galatians 5:22-26), and our individual spiritual gifts should bind us together in perfect harmony.

With Peace, 

Terry

Friday, October 26, 2012

Jesus Christ: Fully God, Fully Man


Scripture declares that the eternal Son of God became a man and walked and lived among us (Philippians 2:6-8), and “in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9 ESV).  It is important to understand that Jesus did not give up any of his attributes as God when he took on human form. When Jesus took on human form, he simply added the attributes of sinless humanity to his attributes as God. This form of existence as fully God and fully man is extremely significant and is certainly a mystery unlike any other form of existence in the created universe. Because of his deity, Jesus' humanity had an inability to sin which was unlike any other human being who has ever lived. Because of his humanity, Jesus was able to gain an experiential understanding of suffering and was able to experience death which was impossible for him to do as God alone. 

If the eternal Son of God had not become man then we would have no Savior and still be in bondage to sin awaiting the wrath of God. The only proper sacrifice that could be made for the sins of humanity would be the sacrifice of a sinless man. However, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23 ESV). Only God is sinless, but God also cannot die. Therefore, the eternal Son of God took on human form which gave him the ability to experience death and ultimately granted us salvation. 

Scripture declares that Jesus had two natures that were united but not mixed, changed, divided, or separated. Jesus remained as he had always been (God) but also became what he had never been (man). “This means that the entire complex of the attributes of [God] and those of perfect humanity were maintained in Jesus Christ at all times since His Incarnation.”

Therefore, Jesus who resurrected from the grave and ascended to his place of authority by the Father has also now become a sympathetic High Priest that we can approach with confidence because he understands our weaknesses and suffering.

With Peace, 

Terry

Monday, October 22, 2012

Game 7

Game seven is here for our team. I thought something that was said yesterday at our baseball chapel would be great to share with this group. If you're a competitor of any kind and a follower of The Almighty God, find strength from this proverb....

New Living Translation (©2007)
The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.

You have given me ability, you have given me a spirit to prepare.  To You, Lord, all the glory is given.  Thanks for Your strength which flows through me even when times are at their toughest.
I love You Lord,

-waino

The Nature of God


God is the eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, faithful Creator of the entire universe who freely created the entire universe out of nothing to glorify himself. As God’s creation, we have been given the ability to know him in an intimate and personal way although we are unable to fully understand or grasp him completely. “Apart from the true religion found in the Bible, no system of religion has a God who is both infinite and personal.”

God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while also remaining as one God. This teaching is known as the Trinity. The word person can sometimes create confusion and lead us to mistakenly think of God as three different beings. However, Scripture is clear that “the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4 ESV). We simply use the word person in order that “we might say something instead of saying nothing at all.”

We must avoid the error of viewing the Trinity as three gods or the error of viewing the Son and Holy Spirit as lesser gods. Scripture clearly teaches that the Father is God (John 6:27), the Son is God (John 1:1-14), and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4) while affirming that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). The three-personal God is one being and is a mysterious form of existence above and beyond anything we can fully comprehend or have experienced in this universe.

Should we be discouraged or have less faith in a God we cannot fully understand? Absolutely not! We can rest assured in what we do know about him concerning his love, power, wisdom and such. And we should rejoice all the more and praise him all the more as we stand in wonder and awe of how truly awesome our God is and how much greater he is than anything we could possibly imagine.

With Peace, 

Terry

Thursday, October 18, 2012

What is the Bible?


“The Word of God” is a phrase that takes on several different meanings throughout Scripture. However, it can best be understood as the written form of God’s message to the world also known as the Bible. For the most part, "it should be remembered that the writing of Scripture primarily occurs in connection with God’s great acts in redemptive history."

Therefore, with this in mind, it seems inevitable that the writings of the New Testament would be joined to the writings of the Old Testament to give us our current Bible. I believe that the Bible consists of only sixty-six books and do not consider the extra collection of books included in the canon of the Roman Catholic Bible known as the Apocrypha as Scripture. I believe the Bible to be inerrant, inspired, and authoritative. Scripture speaks nothing but the truth throughout and contains nothing that is false. God guided the human authors of the Bible through the power of the Holy Spirit so that they composed and recorded his exact words to mankind without error. Since they are his exact words, anyone who disbelieves or disobeys any word of Scripture is actually disbelieving or disobeying God.

The Bible "is the form of God’s Word that is available for study, for public inspection, for repeated examination, and as a basis for mutual discussion." It is not a magical book or an impossible book to understand. However, it does take on new depth and meaning when a believer is aided by the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit. This is experienced through submissive study and mediation and promotes the application of Scripture for the glory of Christ rather than the general understanding of what Scripture teaches.

With Peace, 

Terry

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Waiting...

This is an excerpt from my sister's blog that she posted today. I may be bias but thought this was one of the most powerful things I've ever read. Some of you have asked so just wanted to let you know - they are currently registered at Target and Buy Buy Baby under Donna Feuerbach. Here's the post:

"Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on the object we are waiting for." - Charles Stanley

I read this quote Sunday and it really hit home with me in regards to our journey for a child both biologically and now through adoption. I feel like we have played a waiting game for a long time now and it is such a difficult game to play. I have a constant feeling of anxiety just waiting for a positive phone call. Ever since I started the fertility treatments, I feel like I have been on a roller coaster ride of wishful thinking followed by disappointing phone calls. Then, as we moved down the adoption road I have had a lifted spirit filled with excitement. I devoted all of my time to getting the logistical stuff done as quickly as possible so that I could get this adoption process moving. I thought the wait would get easier once we got approval from both Georgia and Utah but I was wrong. I don't have anything to do with the adoption anymore other than wait. We created a baby registry at Target and Buy Buy Baby, we bought furniture, bedding, and accessories for the nursery which is slowly being created in order to help us grasp what is happening. It is different when you carry a child for nine months. You are able to develop an attachment during that time but obviously adoption is different. These small steps enable us to feel a sense of love for the child that we don't even know yet. However, with all of this excitement comes anxiety and eagerness to find a match and know exactly when our child will arrive. I just want our profile book to at least be shown to a birthmother so I know we have a chance of being matched but there is not anyone out there right now that is able to see our book. I would like to think that I am a rather laid back, patient person but this is definitely pushing me to my limits. I feel like I am glued to the computer and my phone just waiting for some sort of news. This quote reminded me that we are waiting for the most precious gift that God can give us. I must relax and rest assured that everything will occur in His timing and I just need to have faith. God has carried us through this emotional journey and I know He has incredible plans for us. "And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise." - Hebrews 6:15

Please continue to pray for us. I ask that you pray for the birthmother of our child as she deals with her decisions. I also ask that you pray for us to find a match and to be more patient while we wait. It is so easy to lose faith and get discouraged so it is imperative that we lean even more on God and trust in His perfect plan for our lives.

Thanks for all of your support and for not only giving me the opportunity to share my feelings so freely but for actually reading the blog!:)

Love Always,

Donna

Friday, October 5, 2012

Know nothing

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

"When I cam to you brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirits power, so that your faith may not rest on mens wisdom, but on Gods power."

What an awesome expression of what our mindset should look like when sharing the gospel. I know we have all been in that place before we speak where we are worried about what we will say or how it will come across, but these verses have really impacted the way I enter those situations. We are not called to talk people into salvation. Trust me I enjoy a good debate as much as the next guy, but I also understand that the Word of God never returns void. We are called to share the gospel and express things that have happened in our lives. Its a check to myself to rely on the Spirits power more and mine a whole lot less.

"I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified"

Andrew

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Faithful

1 Corinthians 1:9
"God , who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."

Sometimes thats all we need to know. Sometimes that's all we need to grasp. Sometimes that's all we need to think about. I'm so guilty of trying to over think what I read or "go deep" that I don't just stop and let the basic truths really sink in. God is faithful! He is faithful to himself. How would my life look different if every area of my life was wrapped around this truth?

I would love to hear some thoughts on how God has proven this in your life.
Love a good discussion.

Andrew

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Preparation as worship by Ravi Z


This was Ravi Z's answer to a question posed to him at Wheaton College in reference to  using preparation as worship if you feel called to the ministry 


RZ:
 You will never find anyone of any impact globally who was not prepared. You see Moses, the Apostle Paul, our Lord himself – long before he had his public ministry he was being prepared. If you are going into your calling without preparation, you are going in through your own strength, without recognition of the sacredness of the calling with which you have been trusted, without the work that it takes to become an instrument fit for God’s use. Worship is pulling every facet of your life together in an expression of commitment to God. Traditional wedding banns include the phrase, “With my body I thee worship,” which is another way of saying, “I surrender my body for sacred use.” Preparation as service and worship is true surrender to God’s calling.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Inter-squad Games

I was in Church Sunday and I thought about how Church is a lot like an inter-squad game (a game where you play with/against your teammates as a means to sharpen your skills to get better as an athlete/player/person). Everybody gets a chance to play on Sunday, it's like its mandatory because if you show up then the coach wants to give you a chance to see your ability. So each Sunday God will speak to us in a message or in a song that urges us to take it out into the real game/life so we can have an impact for the Kingdom. Now I'm not making Church out to be competition but I am relating it to God getting an opportunity to see you at your best (Sunday best). The convicting part is that during the week I ride the bench and often mix in with Joe Public and rarely exercise my God given ability to perform or better yet use what I have been learning and practicing on Sunday's. Occasionally I'll get thrown into the game (an opportunity) during the week but instead of shooting or swing the bat (standing up for the Kingdom, words, action, or thoughts) I pass the ball or look at the heater down the middle (a pitch I could/would have crushed). So my point of this post is to encourage us to move from Sunday Christians to everyday Christians or graduate from practice squad players to game ready all-stars. I pray that we all have a home church where we attend and get fed and I pray that we would take that knowledge and use it for His glory. Be blessed fam!


Ben

Monday, September 17, 2012

Who is leading


"I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn't be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through"-Francis Chan, "Forgotten God"

When I read this short paragraph, ironically enough, the spirit really stirred in my heart more depth. This is a topic that can get long winded, so I will try and keep it short depending on what the spirit wants to say.....(ha, winkie).   This season of life for me has been a season about growing and learning in the acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit. As a christian, it is so easy for us to "walk ahead of God"and we can get worn out, frustrated, confused, deflated,  etc trying to do the christian life in our own strength. We can also just not be submitting to the power of the Spirit in our lives.  I love how graceful God is that He still chooses to love and delight in His children despite how prone our hearts are to wonder and even when we think "I got this thing figured out"....Praise Jesus!!  God is about His glory, not ours. I believe that in our journey in life, God allows us to go thru things that will detach ourselves more from this world, and attach ourselves more to Him.  This leaves us at a place of humility and joy because He is powerful and trustworthy to carry the load.  "Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:10). "Come to ME all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "- Jesus ( Matt 11:28)  When our perspective changes and we begin to realize  this world is broken and man is limited, the thirst for the Holy spirit is water for the soul. I want to encourage you my brothers and sisters to keep pressing into the heart of this mysterious, but mighty Triune God. We don't have to nail it  or wait to make ourselves feel worthy enough before his presence. "God demonstrates His love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)   So run to the Lord with all your joy, pain, confusion, un answered questions, sin, etc. and let the spirit lead. God never gets tired of us pressing in, but our joy and His glory is at stake.  Stay in the vine, and be reminded that we are just pieces of clay as He produces the fruit in our lives by the TRANSFORMING power of the Holy Spirit.

Francis goes on to say, " I don't believe God wants me (or any of His children) to live in a way that makes sense from the world's perspective, a way I know I can "manage". I believe He is calling me- and all of us- to depend on Him for living in a way that cannot be mimicked or forged. He wants us to walk in step with His Spirit rather than depend solely on raw talent and knowledge He's given us"

I love that last reminder that everything is All His to begin with, we are just stewards.  Praise Him for this kind of  grace!
Blessings,
Brett Carroll

Friday, September 14, 2012

The New iPhone 5 is Here!!!


"I love her so much, I don't need nobody else
Try to put her down but can't help myself."

So Apple just released the new iPhone 5 the other day and just like every other Apple product, it's going to be awesome. I currently have never owned an iPhone, but I've been considering getting one here in the near future which I'm sure is going to transform my life. You can pre-order the new iPhone now online, and I'm sure there will be lines a mile long when it is first sold in stores. So before I say what I want to say next, I do want to be clear that iLove Apple products and will probably have an iPhone in the near future.

Now, that being said, I think moments like these need a dose of fresh perspective in regards to our extreme consumerism here in our culture. We are so quick to become discontent with what we have in hot pursuit of the next best thing. The iPhone 4s is old news and now we need the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 is going to cost $200-$400 based on which one you get. That doesn't seem too bad for such an awesome Apple product, but it got me thinking... what else could I do with $200?

Here's two things:

1. $200 will buy 1,000,000 gallons of safe water for 4 different children and their individual families. 900,000,000 people worldwide lack access to clean water and 4,000 children die every single day from water related diseases such as cholera and typhoid making unsafe water the 2nd biggest killer of children worldwide. Many more experience severe sickness from unsafe water.

2. $200 will buy 20 mosquito bed nets to protect children from the deadly spreading of malaria. A child dies from malaria every 30 seconds. 5 children will die from malaria before you finish reading this email.

Now, this is not intended to be a slap in the face or the cops crashing the party, but maybe it is a little. There is a lack of awareness and so this is a small attempt to raise some awareness, and I personally thought the timing was perfect. One more thing, a typical iPhone monthly plan cost anywhere from $80-$200.... what else could I do with $80 per month?

Here's one thing:

1. For $80 per month, I could sponsor 2 children through Compassion. This would provide:

a) Education - including school clothes, school supplies, and tutoring
b) Health - including teaching on hygiene and maintaining personal health as well as food
c) Church - including love and personal attention for each child, recreation and fun, Bible training and encouragement

So do you really need that new iPhone 5? Maybe. Should you buy the new iPhone 5? Sure. This is not meant to say iPhone's are bad because they are certainly not. In fact.. their awesome. This is just meant to raise your awareness and encourage you to not fall into the temptation of this constant covetous consumerism that surrounds us within this particular culture we live and operate in. There's a whole other world out there that we easily forget about and how we spend our money can impact that forgotten world more than any new App that we may download onto our latest accessory.

With Peace,

Terry

A disciple

I'm going over a few notes from our last bible study and wanted to share this.... A disciple.... Someone who does the right thing, for the right reasons, with the right spirit. A disciple is someone who does what Jesus would do if He were there. I pray that this group would do the right things, for the right reasons, with the right spirit...

-waino

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Community

So me and my wife and a few couples are in the beginning stages of starting a couples study. The more I read in the Bible the more examples I see of how we are meant to live in community. I was speaking with my cousin in reference to their study and his response to the idea was great for me and my wife as we have become new parents. He said that as we get older and we become busier and busier with children and work and sports teams that our community is essentially created for us. The people we work with and who our  kids play with and our neighbors becomes our community. Now there is nothing wrong with this but we also need to be intentional about our community of believers. We  need to set aside time to fellowship and eat and share life together. We have to be intentional about our "inner circle". I'm sure many of you already have an inner circle of people who you run big decisions of life by and people who keep you accountable. For me this is a relatively new idea and I love it. We need to have people in our everyday life that challenge us to be better men as we are called.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Would You Like to Help?

In my last email, "Please Read... Please Pray," I briefly discussed the roller-coaster journey that my sister Donna and her husband David have been on for the past year and a half. This journey has led them to the path of adoption which is an exciting process that both of them are extremely grateful to be embracing. However, as some of you may know, this is not a cheap, quick or easy process either. Its a process that takes a good bit of time and energy to complete and one that is tough to prepare and plan for since you could get the call that you've been selected next week or next year. That being said, I wanted to do what I can as my sister's big brother (and soon to be uncle) to help her be as prepared as possible for the exciting new addition that God will soon graciously bless them with. So that's why I'm writing this email. I wanted to inform everyone and provide any of you guys that would like to help as well with an opportunity to help. Here's some ideas I had:

1) If we have any old baby stuff (clothes, toys, anything) that we don't need then we could send them to Donna and David.

2) We could buy small gift cards that they could use for diapers and stuff like that.

3) A friend of theirs is taking Donna to register for some things at Target and Babies R Us sometime in the near future so friends and family would be able to help in that way too. We could wait for that and help in that way if that might be easier. I'll provide that information if and when she registers.

4) We could write an encouraging card or email simply letting Donna and David know that we are praying for them. You could also write on the blog that they made here.

5) We can simply take a few minutes out of one day this week and pray specifically for them and the child that God will soon bless them with. There are many very specific things we could pray for.

Some of you have already helped in different ways, and I really can't even explain how much that has encouraged Donna and David. I guess you could say that this is my creative way of throwing them a baby shower before I get back home with them in a few weeks. There is obviously no obligation here because God has provided for them already in some pretty awesome ways. This is not a situation where they need help or they can't adopt. This is simply an idea that I had in order to maybe help them out some and encourage them at the same time. Thanks for taking the time to read, and I'll provide their address below for anyone who wants to join in to help.

With Peace and Anticipation,

- Terry

You can send whatever you'd like to:
DAVID AND DONNA FEUERBACH
312 AZALEA CIRCLE
CUMMING, GA 30040

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

PLEASE READ..... PLEASE PRAY.

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40 ESV)

My sister (Donna) and her husband (David) have been on quite the roller-coaster ride of emotions over the last year. However, God promises us in Romans 8:28 that he will work ALL things for the good of those who love him and Donna and David can now testify to this truth more so than ever. After dealing with infertility treatments and lab tests and Dr.'s visits and ultrasounds and blood work and disappointing phone call after disappointing phone call, God has made it clear to them that their firstborn child is supposed to be born somewhere else. They must simply trust him and wait for him to reveal the child he has planned for them. I am personally so excited for the joy that God has in store for them and their child when he finally brings together this family that he has assembled according to his good and gracious purpose. Please read their story on how God has led them to adopt a child...

We wanted to tell everyone about the journey that we have been on for over a year.  We decided that being open about everything going on will help us handle all of the emotions surrounding our struggles.  We have been dealing with infertility and I have been seeing a fertility specialist for a while now.  They discovered that I have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which is a very common infertility problem, but it is not common in thin women.  Therefore, the typical treatments that people do for this disorder will not work on me.  We have done every type of oral medication you can think of at extremely high doses, had an IUI, and I had surgery to remove a large polyp but no pregnancy.  I am constantly at the doctor’s office doing ultrasounds and blood work.  Every trip and phone call is a disappointment, as we never seem to have good news.  I feel like I have not been myself because the medicines completely alter my moods and hormones.  They cause me to feel depressed, and I do everything I can to hold it together when I am around people but am a mess when I get home.  We have spent countless hours praying for God to provide us with a child and.....

Please read the rest of their story here

With Peace and Much Anticipation,

Terry

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Arrested

"But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." (Matthew 10:19, 20 NIV)

So this is the end part of the decree to the disciples. I find it pretty amazing that it says when you get arrested, not if you happen to get arrested. Then they are told not to worry about what they will say because the words will be given to them. They will be filled with the Spirit when the time comes. 

What an amazing couple of sentences. Would I sign up for this journey if these were just some of the stipulations coming into it? Sometimes I need a reality check when it comes to what it really means to follow Jesus. 

Thankful for this community,

Andrew. 

"Belief is Not the Whole of Christianity"


I recently had to write a brief explanation for my Theological Seminar class on why theology is important and how I plan to approach theological study. I thought I would share two excerpts from my writing:

In an age and culture that demands instant access and immediate results, theology seems to be an ancient practice and a lost art. Even though we all make theological assumptions - simply meaning that we all have our own opinions about God and express those opinions in a variety of ways - many of these assumptions are not made as a result of careful study and examination of what the Bible has to say about God. For example, we have heard it been said that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV). Therefore, we conclude that if we believe in God and his Son then we will gain eternal life. The problem here is that “belief is not the whole of Christianity.” Charles C. Ryrie says it well, “There is nothing wrong with being an amateur theologian or a professional theologian, but there is everything wrong about being an ignorant or a sloppy theologian.”.....

.....In his final commission to his disciples, Jesus instructs them to go and make more disciples and to teach them to observe all that he had commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). This final order was not to simply make believers but rather to make disciples. A true disciple is someone who respects, studies, and conforms to the teachings of his particular leader. How can we consider ourselves a true disciple of Jesus if we do not make a commitment to know more about him and study his teachings? How can we make an effort to observe all that he commanded if we do not know or understand his commands? James Orr explains, “He who with his whole heart believes in Jesus as the Son of God is thereby committed to much else besides. He is committed to a view of God, to a view of man, to a view of sin, to a view of Redemption, to a view of the purpose of God in creation and history, to a view of human destiny found only in Christianity.” Simply believing in God, Jesus, or facts about Jesus does not necessarily make you a disciple of Jesus (James 2:19-20). Christianity is not simply a belief. “It is a way of life, a kind of behavior, a style of living.” The apostle Peter encourages us to make every effort to supplement our faith with knowledge so that we might be effective and fruitful. He warns that whoever lacks knowledge is blind and will constantly stumble (2 Peter 1:5-11). Jesus commanded us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 ESV). May we embrace this call by making a commitment to the study of God and his teachings.

With Peace, 

Terry 

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Dependent freedom

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13 NIV)

I feel like I say this everytime, but what a powerful verse! It lays the truth out. 
1. "We are called to be free". So we should be aware of anything that moves us away from that truth. 
2. "Don't use your freedom to indulge the flesh". We should be intentional.
3. "Serve one another humbly in love". This is a huge verse for me. We are called to serve one another, and serve HUMBLY and serve IN LOVE.
I thank God for this verse because it challenges me to reexamine my motives in service. 
Serve one another humbly in love is a big verse to digest. It goes on later to say that the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit. So we are called to serve others humbly in love yet we desire to gratify the flesh and are working contrary to the spirit. So how do we shorten the learning curve and get back to that place of dependence on God and being led by the Spirit. I think it all goes back to the first verse that says we are called to be free and that freedom is meant to be experienced in a state of dependence on God. Staying in the word and prayer enhance my dependence on God.  You?
Obviously these are just my thoughts on this. Please comment.

- Andrew

Explicit Gospel Bite

Finished this book called "The Explicit Gospel" by Matt Chandler and found several things to highlight along the way. The illustration that your about to read hit me pretty hard for several reasons... I think you'll agree, enjoy!

The True Heart of the Father 

There is a magical thing that happens in homes all over the world. When you have a child, you want your child to crawl, and then you want your kid to walk. My first child, Audrey, pulled herself to the coffee table. When she got to the coffee table, she began to bounce on her knees, and then she began to coast along. From there she started letting go and just being wobbly. At that point we began to get excited about the fact that Audrey was about to walk. Eventually she took her hands off of the coffee table, and we watched physics in motion. 
God has created children, specifically young children, with gargantuan heads and tiny little bodies. So when Audrey let go of the coffee table, her gigantic head fell forward, and suddenly she had a decision to make. She could stick that foot out to catch herself or she could die. So she stuck her foot out, and then she had momentum. It was step, step, step, fall. Do you know what we did? We exploded in celebration. We picked her up, spun her around, and kissed her face. Then we sat her down and pleaded with her to walk toward us again. After that we began e-mailing, Facebooking, taking pictures, tweeting, and all sorts of other things to get the word out that Audrey was walking. We did that with our son, Reid, and we’ve done that with our daughter Norah. 
What I have learned as I watched all of our friends have children is that there is always an epic celebration around the kid walking. This is news to be declared. “This kid is walking!” 
For all the people I have watched go through that process, I’ve never seen anybody watch their kid go step, step, step, fall and then say out loud, “Man, this kid is an idiot. Are you serious? Just three steps? Man, I can get the dog to walk two or three steps. Honey, this must be from your side of the family, because my side of the family is full of walkers. This must be some sort of genetic, shallow gene pool on your side of things.” 
No father does that. Every father rejoices in the steps of his child. The father celebrates the steps of his child. I think what we have here is a picture of God celebrating us walking. So we step, step, step, and fall, and heaven applauds. At what? At the obedience of taking those three steps. The Father in heaven is crying, “He’s walking!” “She’s doing it!” And maybe the Accuser’s saying, “No, he only took a couple of steps. That’s nothing.” 
But the celebration is in the steps, even if there are still falls. Here’s what I know about all of my children: they start to walk farther and farther and farther, and they begin to skip, they begin to run, they begin to jump, they begin to climb, and they begin to tear the house up. It’s beautiful. I knew even when they were step, step, step, falling that that process was the beginning of what would result in climbing trees, dancing, and sprinting. Knowing in my mind what’s to come, the three steps and the stumble were a celebration. 
Moralists see the fall and believe that the Father is ashamed and thinks they’re foolish. So, more often than not, they stop trying to walk because they can’t see the Father rejoicing in and celebrating his child. 
Church of Jesus, let us please be men and women who understand the difference between moralism and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s be careful to preach the dos and don’ts of Scripture in the shadow of the cross’s “Done!” Resolve to know nothing but Jesus Christ crucified. We are not looking to conform people to a pattern of religion but pleading with the Holy Spirit to transform people’s lives. Let us move forward according to that upward call, holding firmly to the explicit gospel.

Matt Chandler (2012-04-09). The Explicit Gospel (p. 221). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

- Blake

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Good News


"For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:22-24)

If you have gone your entire life up to this point without committing a single sin then you have no reason to read this email. However, for what its worth, the apostle John said, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).

In his letter to the believers in Rome, the apostle Paul declares that there is no one who has not sinned. Everyone has sinned. Would you argue with that? Since we sin then it seems obvious to admit that we fall short of the bar set by an Almighty Perfect God. Right? However, thanks to the grace of God displayed by Jesus humbling himself to the point of death on a cross, we are justified and redeemed.

How could this truth not change your entire perspective on life and radically transform the way you live your life? The fact is... this truth does radically change your life when you truly believe it. Its such a simple message of good news full of hope and joy. Don't complicate it - You either believe it or you don't. There is no middle ground - You're either following Jesus or you're not.

"For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:7-8). God loves you! - Do you believe that?

With peace,

Terry

"God made you and he rose for you... So you rise!" (Lecrae - Rise)


Thursday, August 9, 2012

Get Your Mind Right

Colossians 3:2 "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."

This verse is always a good nugget to help us get out of our own way and focus on things that are bigger than us which allows us to be more resourceful, grateful, loving, and productive. When we are caught up in "what's in it for me" then we can easily dip into depression. In those times is when the enemy gets his foothold. Let's press on and focus on the King and His Kingdom because we have so much to be grateful for and look forward to.

- Jules

Monday, August 6, 2012

Thursday, August 2, 2012

All His energy

  Col 1:28-29 "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me".

The word perfect is from the Greek word "teleois" meaning mature.


Just some great verses to chew on. The thing that sticks out to me are those few words, "with all his energy".  If no other thought stays with me from these verses it would those words. Simple phrase with a huge point tucked in there. Lets not ever lose sight of who is running the show.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Francis Chan - Do You Believe? Prove It!

I recently watched this video of Francis Chan taking about the stupidest thing he had ever done in church. It is pretty funny but the message behind it is gold. If you see a blank black screen and no video just simply click on the title of this post to view this 3 minute video about the difference between claiming to believe and actually believing. If you do see this video then... enjoy!

With peace,

- Terry


Monday, July 30, 2012

The Widow's Offering

Not sure it gets much better than this. Enjoy...

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

-Mark 12:41-44

Thursday, July 26, 2012

SONS of God

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.


What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
(Galatians 3:26-4:7)

Verse 5 talks about the transition from servanthood to sonship. I feel like sometimes I never really accepted this part of the relationship. I still feel that I need to earn my relationship status with Jesus. I love how verse 7 simply states that we are no longer slaves but God's child, and even further than that we are heirs. 

I feel like I should walk around in this truth more often, understanding that I am an heir to God, I am His son. Its easy to "church" it up and say we are all children of God, but when you really chew on it and think about it and allow it to sink into your bones then it changes you. I don't know if this verse is striking me differently because I have a two month old son or what. We are Sons of God. If you are reading this and you know that you have not received this gift then take the time to talk with someone you trust today and start asking some questions. 

Thoughts?

- Andrew

Monday, July 23, 2012

Why do I read the Bible every day? By Carl Medearis


Why do I read the Bible every day?

Okay, so I don’t read it every day, but almost.  Have all my life. I probably started reading it pretty seriously when I was about 12 – now I’m, uh, 50.  So I think that’s 38 years of reading the same book. Over and over.  I’ve read it straight through several times but I find that painful – as some parts are boring.
I mostly pick and choose. Sometimes I’ll spend a half hour sort of flipping back and forth and letting my eyes fall on certain portions and then either moving on quickly or allowing myself to be pleasantly distracted and get lost in that passage. Not often, but sometimes I lose track of the time and realize I’ve read through a whole book – maybe an hour or even more.
Sometimes I study it.  Focus on a topic and get out my iPad and Bible program and search for every time this or that word comes up. I imagine myself as St. Augustine or someone really smart like that – trying to figure out the philosophy behind the theology.  I have a long list of papers I’ve written from these times.  Papers on “the church.” Or on “the gospel.”  Such things.  I try to “figure it out.” Probably for the purpose of teaching it to others.
And sometimes I treat the Bible like dessert. I just read and wander around in it, enjoying its flavor. I look for odd things. For humor and sarcasm. For love and romance. For wars and Great Adventures like the ones the Hobbits left for with Gandalf and Aragorn.
I was told – growing up – that I was “supposed” to have a daily quiet time. Preferably in the morning and for about 15-30 minutes in length.  Problem was that I didn’t live any other part of my life this way. When I married Chris, I didn’t treat her that way. None of my other friendships were that way. I tend to be scattered – actually, let’s call it “spontaneous.”  A much better word.
I’m not a morning person. I’m not particularly disciplined.  I enjoy diving into the Bible and its riches whenever I want to.  I think that’s allowed.  And….I don’t like to be told “how it’s done.” (You may have guessed that). :)
So WHY do I read the Bible (almost) every day?  Because I like it. I enjoy it. It makes me happy.  How’s that for some good theology?  Oh, there are tons of reasons of course, but those are as good as any. Mainly – because I want to.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

The Importance of Signs

Last week Andrew Kown made several great points in his post on Signs.  Too often we focus on the signs and don't experience what the signs are pointing to. Many Christians have all of their theological and doctrinal I's dotted and T's crossed, but they don't "know" God intimately. As a PhD student in seminary I am especially susceptible to this danger. Ironically, the last three years I have spent in seminary have been the most difficult for me devotionally.  With all of the reading assignments, book reviews, papers, etc., often times my devotional life gets left in the dust.  I am so busy learning "about" God that I neglect my relationship with God.  It would be like reading every book that has ever been written on Yosemite National Park, but never going there to experience it for myself.  I would be an expert on the park without the joy of experiencing it for myself.  That is what many of us do with God and I think that is what Andrew was getting at in his post.

Even though I think Andrew is 100% right in his post I want to give a helpful caution.  What I want to caution Christians against is creating an either/or scenario with signs and the real thing, instead of a both/and.  Signs are extremely important.  The sacrificial system and ceremonial laws of the Old Testament were signs that pointed to the real thing - which is Christ.  Just like the signs in Yosemite that explained what you were looking at and the history behind it, the Bible explains who God is and the history of His people.

The purpose of reading about who God is and how He interacted with His people in history is to grow in your love, trust, adoration, and affection for God, as well as, your fellowship with God.  The sign (the Bible) helps you experience the real thing (God). Without the sign you may distort and dishonor the real thing. It is for this reason that we need both the sign and the real thing. So let us walk that fine line between focusing too much on the sign and not on what the sign points too, and neglecting the sign and interpreting what we see however we want to.

- TDurham

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

"Leave Nothing Undone"


Luke 11:42 "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone."

A good buddy of mine Ryan Bear used to say "leave nothing undone" in reference to a days work at the baseball field (ball yard as some call it). I believe he might have pulled that from this verse. What if we tried to really live out our faith as to leave nothing undone? Would the standard that we try to live up to be raised and subsequently we'd get more out of ourselves each day? Is this another challenge?

I think so... Choose wisely who you spend your time with. Are they subconsciously pushing your personal standard to another level by the way they live? 

Jules

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Signs

So we had our All-Star break the last three days and me and my wife and son went back to Yosemite. We couldn't get enough the first time so we went back. I told my wife I think I was supposed to come here a lot earlier in my life because it has had such an impact on me. The funny thing is that I noticed since the last trip to Yosemite and being around my teammates and trying to explain to the ones who had not been how amazing the views were and how awe inspiring the whole place was - There was no way to put into words what was seen and experienced! As I was there this time I noticed something. There are little signs in front of the falls and most of the beautiful sites that explain what you are looking at and a little history of the location. As I was sitting there reading the sign I realized that it would be pointless to just sit there and read the sign about the falls or the meadow or rock face and never actually look up and experience it. Yosemite is not meant to be talked about, it is meant to be seen and experienced. Then I felt an overwhelming sense that the Holy Spirit was revealing something to me. All to often I get caught up in reading about a relationship with Jesus Christ. To often I just read about what the power of the Holy Spirit can do. To often I just read about the power of God. We serve a relational God who wants a growing relationship with us. Don't get me wrong, reading and learning is great. But in the same way that if I just read the signs about Yosemite falls and then walked away I would be missing the point. We need to experience God and do it often. We need to experience the Holy Spirit and that power. Reading and learning is obviously essential to a growing relationship, but only if all the learning and information leads to actions. "You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone." (James 2:24 NIV) Thoughts?

- Andrew Kown

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

A Promise From God

Terry put me up on this verse years ago and it was one of the scriptures of point in Church last Sunday. This verse, if really meditated on can be a powerful beacon of faith and momentum in life.

Joshua 1:8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

The thing that stands out to me is to consume the Word everyday, fill yourself with scriptures and live according to what is written in them. If we can really press in and make this our lives I'm confident we're going to like where we are in life and our relationship with the King. "Well done my good and faithful son" thats success to me.

Be blessed...

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Planting Seeds

When I was hurt last year I developed a new hobby. I, all of the sudden, out of the blue, took an interest in growing things. I had a little garden in the yard where I could get out of the house and clear my mind... I called it my sanity garden. I had a few different tomato plants, some peppers, some herbs, some strawberries, etc. It was cool. But, I became borderline obsessed with it. This year I have way more stuff. I wake up in the mornings thinking about how I can grow things better, and how to fit more stuff into the tiny spaces I have. I've started doing some serious digging (no pun intended) about farming, and I won't lie, I'm really looking forward to becoming a self proclaimed expert at growing things. I wake up in the morning and one of the first things I do is look outside to see if things have grown. Most days I get home from the field around 11 or 12 at night and go straight out to check on my plants. A lot of these plants I grew from a seed, and my wife seriously thinks that I love them like children. I think she might be right. Anyway, that long rambling story reminds me of the parable of the seed sower in matthew 13. See, when I planted those seeds, I made sure I had the correct soil. The parable says some seeds fall on rocky soil and wont grow. I made sure that didn't happen. I made sure the correct amount of water got to those seeds as they were growing. I continually make sure there are no weeds choking out my plants as those thorns did to some of the sowers seeds. I did all these things in order for the conditions to be just right. But, after all that, if God doesn't breath life into those seeds they will not grow... no matter what environment I have prepared. On the flip side, if I don't plant the seed at all it certainly won't grow. And, if I don't do it with care,... well you get the point. Here's where I'm going with this... you have a friend... probably been a friend for a while. You talk about everything with this person EXCEPT God. You love this person, but you're scared that if you talk about Jesus it'll change things. So you brush it aside. Think about this. God has prepared your life for you. He says in Job 38 "where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth. Y'all, He is in control. The people in your life are not there by accident. Maybe that friend of yours is ready and waiting for the Holy Spirit to take over their life. Maybe it's not. Maybe your friendship is the foundation of great things to come for the Kingdom. Then again, maybe not. In the parable it says not all seeds will grow. Not everyone you share with will have ears to hear what you are saying. That's okay... some will. You won't know if you don't plant the seed. Share Jesus with whoever it is... and let the Holy Spirit take it from there. He has the power to turn water into wine and the hardest of hearts into pillars of the faith (ask Paul). 

-waino Galatians 5:1 It's for freedom we've been set free.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Unschooled

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13 NIV)

I have been reading "forgotten God" by Francis Chan. It is a book about the Holy Spirit and the book looks to tear down misconceptions about what the Holy Spirit is and is not. I would take some time to read it if you have not already. While I was reading the book I came on this verse that was in the book Acts 4:13. It was one of those moments that I could not just rush past. I can't explain why the verse struck me like it did, but it did. In the passage John and Peter were surrounded by the rulers and the elders and the teachers of the law, as well as the high priest. These people that were supposed to be the leaders were not able to explain these miracles that these men had performed under the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus. These men were not raised in the church, they were "unschooled, ordinary men". Why do you think that those words ordinary and unschooled were put into the Bible? I think the reason is to show once again that it's not about how much you know about our Lord and Savior but about how much you trust Him. These men trusted with all that they had and reflected the glory that they saw in Jesus' face and it showed. They could not help but stand out after being face to face with that kind of glory. Thoughts?

- Andrew Kown