What is Christmas really all about?

A message to my 4 little girls.

"A girl should get so lost in God, that a guy has to seek God to find her!" ~

Dannah Gresh, author.

Your Marriage and your biggest problem.

For those I have talked to in recent months about this book I cant tell you enough how enjoyable it has been to go through this book. I am only part way into it as of this week but it is so rich in theology and its practical implications in your marriage. The issue of marriage and how you handle conflict within it is an area most of us must admit we need work in (to say the least - in regards to myself). What we must understand is that marriage is not primarily about us but first and foremost it is for God. The imagery that the Bible uses time and time again to show us that men have the position of Christ and the wife as the church is so rich. Both parties have the responsibility to one another of sacrificially giving ones all to each other and it works in beautiful harmony together. How often do I allow my own desires and wants to supersede those of my wife's.

Here is one of the lines in the book.....

"What we believe about God determines the quality of our marriage".

This once again comes to theology. For all those who think all theology does is divide well so be it. Theology is important in its outwork in our Christian life, marriage, parenting, and most of all our devotion to God. The more we understand God the more firm our foundation. Now our desire is not for division and strife but our desire is for the Glory of God and we glorify Him as we learn about Him within the word.

Here is a quote from R.C. Sproul

"No Christian can avoid theology. Every Christian is a theologian. Perhaps not a theologian in the technical or professional sense, but a theologian nevertheless. The issue for Christians is not whether we are going to be theologians but whether we are going to be good theologians or bad ones".

That is the heart of the issue. Your understanding of who we are, who God is and what the solution is.

God is Holy and Perfect, we are low and sinful in the full sense of the word, the Cross is the remedy. Our sinful condition shadows all our decisions, all our marriage problems and our bad choices. Understand that the biggest problem with marriage is our sinful conditions. Regardless of anyone else you have an obligation and should have the desire to war against pride, self righteous, anger, outburst, anything that glorifys your wants instead of Gods and honor your spouse. Pray for help and read your bible. God is faithful.

Are you kidding me??

Rudolph is to "Christian". Come on.

The New Testament Project

We are wrapping up for the NT project set to launch in as little as 2 weeks. We are working on a few things to promote the project to your friends and family. Get as many people involved as possible. This will be a blessing for us all. So what we need at this point is for you to leave a comment after this blog. IF you have emailed me and/or verbally committed that is ok but if you still could leave your name and email address in the comments that would be great. For new comers please do the same. These will be used on the blog just as a name role call so we can send you needed correspondence as well as accountability.

God Bless,

Dad, wake up, times almost over!

Quoting William Gurnall

You also fail yourselves by leaving your children in a state of ignorance, for you heap upon yourselves the consequences of their sins as well as your own. When a child breaks one of God's commandments, it is his sin; but it is also the father's if he never taught the child what the commandment of God was. Wicked children become heavy crosses to their parents. When a father or mother must trace the source of wickedness to his or her neglect in training the child, cross is laid upon cross and the load becomes unbearable. Can there be a greater heartache in this life than to see your own child running full speed towards hell, and know that you were the one who outfitted him for the race? Oh, do your best while they are young and in your constant care, to win them to God and set them on the road to heaven.

Most important, you fail God when you rear an ignorant child. Scripture tells of those who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Among others, this includes parents who lock up the knowledge of salvation from their children. Where is the parent who will rob his own son's house? Yet this is what you do if you neglect his spiritual education. For you keep in your own pocket the gold talent that God intended for you to give your child. If you leave no godly inheritance, what will happen when you die, and the truth of the gospel is buried along side rotting bones?

If you are God's child, then your children stand in closer relationship to the heavenly Father than the children of the unbelievers. God depends on you to nurture them as you have been nurtured, and to protect them at all costs from the devil's education. Training your children up in the ways of the Lord is no casual suggestion. Your refusal to obey, whether the product of deliberation or neglect, will pay you bitter wages when you stand before the King of kings in the judgment"

The Christian in Complete Armour, (year 1665)

Now I am not a perfect parent and trust me I do not have a bunch of little saints running around my house. If you spend time over here you will see very quickly that we have a lot of work to do in our home. But one thing is prevalent when you speak to my wife our myself. We want to do more, we want to be better and we desire that God is exalted in our life's first for them to see. It is amazing how much time we spend entertaining ourselves. We have such work to do and it must be done day in and day out. Most of the time obedience is not glamorous although there are times God sends us fruit but for the most part it is pretty tough. If you walked in to our family devotion or our morning devotion you would not see fireworks going off or kids falling on the Ground in repentance. Most of the time it is stressful and frustrating especially with a newborn, a 2 year old and an almost 4 year old. It is tough and I walk away someday wondering what was I thinking. But the more I read the word the more I am convinced that it is the constant watering of the word that will give our children the lasting benefits of the gospel. But it is hard and we have to do hard things. Let us continue in our own devotion to God-day in and day out spent in the word and in prayer. For those that are parents....Just do it. Get a devotion set up, do what you have to do in order to stop them from going to hell.

In Christ,

Christmas and the glory of God

Dont waste this Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our fallen default position in this life is to be selfish. We tend to plan so much around the Holidays and especially Christmas toward our family and what we are going to do and where are we going to go. We think that is enough. Laughing and spending time is all that Christmas is about, right?

Well I think we have to search more deeper than that. We have to look to the cross and to the suffering of our Savior. What was the point of it all. To save sinners. To bring glory to Himself. Christmas is a chance for us to fight the temptation to be self centered. To think we are at peace when we are at war. People are going to Hell and we tend to only worry about what presents to buy. You have the words of life. Reach out.

Here is what the prince of Preaches said about soul winning...

"If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees, imploring them to stay.. let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for"

I like this quote for John Piper in "Dont Waste your life".

We are at war, whether the stocks are falling or climbing, weather the terrorists are hitting or hiding, whether we are healthy or sick. I need to hear this message again and again, because I drift into a peacetime mindset as certainly as rain falls down and flames go up. I am wired by nature to love the same toys that the world loves. I start to fit in, I start to to love what others love. I start to call earth "home".

Before you know it I am calling luxuries "needs" and using my money just the way unbelievers do. I begin to forget the war. I dont think much about people perishing. Missions and unreached peoples drop out of my mind. I stop dreaming about the triumph of grace. I sink into a secular mindset that looks first to what man can do, not what God can do. It is a terrible sickness.


Please understand that you are in a war. Not only against the cold dark world but against yourself. Please understand Earth is not your home. Now that you are saved, if you are saved, than be prepared to die. Put nothing above your true love, Christ. Preach the gospel to yourself and remind yourself how wretched you were before Christ saved you. Listen to people, just sit back and watch and see they need the message you carry. Please dont water down the message Christ was crucified for, Paul stoned and beheaded and martyr after martyr died for. It was not, "Oh God loves you just so much and if you come to Him then He will make your life better". That is a lie, Preach about sin and repentance and trusting in Christ to save them from the judgment to come. Warn them about this life and that when you do become a Christian things do get harder. People will not love your message but some will. Praise God for that. YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN. Get that...

YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN FOR YOU WERE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE.

Get your family involved and DONT WASTE YOUR LIFE. You will have plenty of time to laugh, fellowship, sing, etc in Heaven. You are called to reach people with the saving Gospel. That is the only reason you are still here on earth and will be the only thing you will never do again in heaven. DONT WASTE IT. PLEASE, Run hard and finish the race strong. Dont get in the peacetime mind set. ITS NOT PEACE TIME, IF YOU ARE NOT BEING PERSECUTED OR TALKED ABOUT FOR YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST THAN PLEASE DO SOMETHING.

Here are some great ideas from Livingwaters. Our family printed out the Christmas Carols and are going to go to my Grandfathers neighborhood and sing, preach a small message and go to the next house. Please be in prayer.

Here are some ideas by livingwaters.