Here is a catch all post of this week.
Gall Bladder - I went to the doc yesterday and got my bandages removed. It is amazing how gross stitches are.
Our Residency - I turned in all the paperwork to the local police station for the processing of our residency (the equivalent of a Green Card). They said I can come pick them up on Saturday (insha'allah). That's not to bad. Its been about a month process. Once I get the aqaama, I can go sign-up to take the driving test and then I can drive!!!! (insha'allah)
Good Gifts, Good Father - Last night we bought Noah a walker. He loves it! We had some serious issues putting him to bed, because he wanted to be in his walker. Jesus said, "How many of you when your kid asks for some bread would toss him a rock? Or when he comes to you and wants some chicken would give a rattlesnake? No, of course not. You give good gifts to your kids, even though you are sinful. How much more then does you perfect, unsinned Father in heaven know how to gift the perfect gift." This morning Noah woke up and has spent the morning in the walker. It brings a smile to my face to see him so happy. I've gotten a glimpse of how much joy my Father gets when I love the gifts He has given me.
With that said, we are going to get a video up of our "semi-mobile" son soon.
Later,
CB
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
The Shadow Proves the Sunshine
Between the pipes in the wall busting, the boiler being retarded, Noah and B being sick, and, of course, me getting hacked on February has officially made it on our lists of things not to repeat next year.That's right, we will be finishing 2008 with only 336 days.
With all that said though, God has been gracious to us. His strength has been ever present, and his comfort always near by.
Switchfoot is right when they sing "The shadow proves the sunshine." Without the shadows we never really truly know how good the sunshine is or appreciate how bright.
Oh...the pic of me and Noah has nothing to do with the topic. It's just Noah making his "James Bond swoon over me look." Its just a great picture.
Monday, July 17, 2006
God Moments
A group of us are reading through the book of Acts this summer and today we were looking at chapter 16 where Paul and Silas get beaten and chunked in the slammer for casting out an annoying demon from a slave girl.
*sidenote*
I’ve returned to my normal summer schedule today. I am blown away about how long the days seem to be when you don’t sleep as good at night. I don’t know how we are going to make it once school starts back up in a month and a half.
*end of sidenote*
Y’all know the story. They are singing and having church (By church I don’t mean they were singing two hymns and some praise choruses and then someone preached and they took an offering and then went home unchanged, but I mean church, where God was present and they encountered him in a fresh way that rejuvenated their souls in such a way that it cause all the hardened, sissy-hating criminals in the jail with them to listen.)
Then the earthquake came and the doors flew open and the jailor freaked out and Paul told him to get a grip its okay, they were all there. The jailor then came trembling and asked them, “What must I do to be saved?”
That is a difficult concept for me. The last time I saw an earthquake on TV I didn’t see any trembling people asking that question. What was it about the earthquake that hit the jailor and turned him to God?
I am convinced that there are times in life that God shows up in a very real, very tangible way and it not only cannot be discarded as “coincidence” but it even causes unbelievers to fall on their knees and go, “what must I do?” I think any normal person would say, “oh, the earthquake, good luck for the prisoners, bad luck for the guards,” but not this guy he sees the hand of God coming to rescue his captive children and he is all of a sudden faced with the fact that his standing on the wrong side of the battlefield and it freaks him out.
The longer I am here the more I am convinced that “luck” and “coincidence” are nonbeliever terms. Everything is a God moment. God moves and we choose to give him credit/glory or choose to blow him off. I am beginning to see the moments when a taxi driver catches something I’ve said and wants to know more, when a “religious” person hears the Way and isn’t turned off by it, as God moments. Did I catch them on a good day? Maybe he was in a good mood? The answer is God moved and I get to be the earthquake to grab someone’s attention. Coincidence? I think not!
*sidenote*
I’ve returned to my normal summer schedule today. I am blown away about how long the days seem to be when you don’t sleep as good at night. I don’t know how we are going to make it once school starts back up in a month and a half.
*end of sidenote*
Y’all know the story. They are singing and having church (By church I don’t mean they were singing two hymns and some praise choruses and then someone preached and they took an offering and then went home unchanged, but I mean church, where God was present and they encountered him in a fresh way that rejuvenated their souls in such a way that it cause all the hardened, sissy-hating criminals in the jail with them to listen.)
Then the earthquake came and the doors flew open and the jailor freaked out and Paul told him to get a grip its okay, they were all there. The jailor then came trembling and asked them, “What must I do to be saved?”
That is a difficult concept for me. The last time I saw an earthquake on TV I didn’t see any trembling people asking that question. What was it about the earthquake that hit the jailor and turned him to God?
I am convinced that there are times in life that God shows up in a very real, very tangible way and it not only cannot be discarded as “coincidence” but it even causes unbelievers to fall on their knees and go, “what must I do?” I think any normal person would say, “oh, the earthquake, good luck for the prisoners, bad luck for the guards,” but not this guy he sees the hand of God coming to rescue his captive children and he is all of a sudden faced with the fact that his standing on the wrong side of the battlefield and it freaks him out.
The longer I am here the more I am convinced that “luck” and “coincidence” are nonbeliever terms. Everything is a God moment. God moves and we choose to give him credit/glory or choose to blow him off. I am beginning to see the moments when a taxi driver catches something I’ve said and wants to know more, when a “religious” person hears the Way and isn’t turned off by it, as God moments. Did I catch them on a good day? Maybe he was in a good mood? The answer is God moved and I get to be the earthquake to grab someone’s attention. Coincidence? I think not!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Our Heritage
I live in a culture of people that know their heritage. They know who their 10th great grandfather was and where he was from. We in the West don't really have that. I can tell you the names of all my grandparents and a few of my great grandparents, but that’s it.
*sidenote*
Somewhere in my family was a crazy-Irish guy that beat a donkey to death. Well, I don't know if he was Irish or not. Someone in my family was Irish, but donkey-beating sounds like something the Irish would do. Anyways, I've got donkey-beater in my blood -- beware.
*sidenote finished*
The truth is we have a spiritual heritage as well. All the stories that happened in the OT we always say, "Wow, that's cool!" or "Cool, the Red Sea thing, Pharaoh was stupid." or "Man, they are always disobeying, when will they ever learn.\?"
Those are family stories. Some of them good, some of them bad (some of them were donkey-beaters!) Look, they were called "The children of God." And we are called.....yup, "Children of God." We've all got the same Father.
I've been finding parallels with the deliverance of our brothers and sisters from the slavery of Egypt with my own deliverance from the slavery of sin. I was reading in Hosea and I just wanted to share with you this passage and see if it you can see a resemblance in your own "Exodus" from the slavery of sin with what God did for our brothers and sisters.
Hosea 11:1, 3-4
1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck
and bent down to feed them.
*sidenote*
Somewhere in my family was a crazy-Irish guy that beat a donkey to death. Well, I don't know if he was Irish or not. Someone in my family was Irish, but donkey-beating sounds like something the Irish would do. Anyways, I've got donkey-beater in my blood -- beware.
*sidenote finished*
The truth is we have a spiritual heritage as well. All the stories that happened in the OT we always say, "Wow, that's cool!" or "Cool, the Red Sea thing, Pharaoh was stupid." or "Man, they are always disobeying, when will they ever learn.\?"
Those are family stories. Some of them good, some of them bad (some of them were donkey-beaters!) Look, they were called "The children of God." And we are called.....yup, "Children of God." We've all got the same Father.
I've been finding parallels with the deliverance of our brothers and sisters from the slavery of Egypt with my own deliverance from the slavery of sin. I was reading in Hosea and I just wanted to share with you this passage and see if it you can see a resemblance in your own "Exodus" from the slavery of sin with what God did for our brothers and sisters.
Hosea 11:1, 3-4
1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck
and bent down to feed them.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Barabbas Movie Review
B is still gone for the weekend, so I am taking this time to catch up on all the movies that we have that B doesn’t like. It’s been a guy movie weekend. I came across Barabbas for 8 bucks at Wal-Mart before we left the States. It has Anthony Quinn and Jack Palance in it, so I figured it had to be a good movie.It’s the story of what happens to Barabbas after he is released in the place of Christ and the struggles of guilt and faith he has. He is the typical “gotta see it to believe it kind of guy.” It’s got some great quotes. One thing that came into perspective for me was throughout the rest of his life every time he meets a believer they know who he is. They are always wanting to know about Christ’s death and resurrection. Because he was an eye-witness, he was there.
In my walk with the LORD I’ve lost the awe of the events and the excitement that was going on after the resurrection and the type of life that the believers lived. They we listening to the stories first hand.
At one point in the story, one of the gladiators is pumped because Peter is in Rome. The Peter that walked with Christ. I can’t imagine what it was like. I’ve heard good story tellers, but it’s always been in third person. You know, Jesus and Peter were walking …….
But when Peter or John talked, it was Jesus and I were talking and he said….. What a concept! First hand narration.
All that to say it’s a good movie. Don’t let the “made in 1962” freak you out.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Be The Tree
Psalms 1:3, Jeremiah 17:8, Ezekiel 47:1-12
Being completely drowned in Arabic these past weeks, the LORD has really shown me several passages in the Book that have really brought me a great deal of comfort.
The Book brings the picture of a tree planted by the stream. It's roots go deep and when the drought come it survives. Not only survives but it thrives. Its leaves do not wither. In fact the tree is so well rooted by the stream and fed by the life it brings that it even produces fruit!
My favorite picture of this is in Exekiel 47. After the Lord builds his temple for his glory to reside, a stream of water flows out into the desert towards the Dead Sea. The river grows and grows until it is so huge Ezekiel can't cross it anymore.
In the Book, Ezekiel says that where the river enters the sea the salt water becomes fresh. Fish live there and trees grow along the edge and produce fruit every month. Their fruit provides food and their leaves provide healing.
Wow! I want to be that. I want that to happen. I want the River of God to flow out into the desert, a "Dead Sea," and I want to be one of those trees. I want to be a tree that is used to bring life in a desert place. I want to produce fruit every month. I want to be used to provide healing. I want to see the dead, salty earth not only become wet with Spirit of the LORD, but to change the dead, stale water into living springs of water.
Sorry for the gushy devo. I just get excited when the Book talks about deserts becoming places of life. I guess that is my heart. If you didn't know that already. :)
So when in doubt, be the tree.
Being completely drowned in Arabic these past weeks, the LORD has really shown me several passages in the Book that have really brought me a great deal of comfort.
The Book brings the picture of a tree planted by the stream. It's roots go deep and when the drought come it survives. Not only survives but it thrives. Its leaves do not wither. In fact the tree is so well rooted by the stream and fed by the life it brings that it even produces fruit!
My favorite picture of this is in Exekiel 47. After the Lord builds his temple for his glory to reside, a stream of water flows out into the desert towards the Dead Sea. The river grows and grows until it is so huge Ezekiel can't cross it anymore.
In the Book, Ezekiel says that where the river enters the sea the salt water becomes fresh. Fish live there and trees grow along the edge and produce fruit every month. Their fruit provides food and their leaves provide healing.
Wow! I want to be that. I want that to happen. I want the River of God to flow out into the desert, a "Dead Sea," and I want to be one of those trees. I want to be a tree that is used to bring life in a desert place. I want to produce fruit every month. I want to be used to provide healing. I want to see the dead, salty earth not only become wet with Spirit of the LORD, but to change the dead, stale water into living springs of water.
Sorry for the gushy devo. I just get excited when the Book talks about deserts becoming places of life. I guess that is my heart. If you didn't know that already. :)
So when in doubt, be the tree.
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