A Boy Becomes a Man...

So, the other day, something odd happened...

Around lunchtime, Lindsey was at home alone with the kids, and she heard a noise out back. Looking out the back French doors, she saw a young lady running down the stairs of our deck. Then, looking out a side window, she watched the girl running off with a half-empty bag of charcoal, taken from our deck. A few minutes later, Lucas began barking, and Lindsey saw a young man on our back deck looking around my grill and smoker. She went out on the deck, certainly startling the young man, and asked him what he was doing. He made up what he thought to be a clever story about his dog running through our back yard, only to be shocked when Lindsey asked if he needed some charcoal to help find the pooch. Lindsey gave him the ol' heave-ho, only to be interrupted a few minutes later by the doorbell. The two busted thieves stood on the front deck, bag of nabbed charcoal in hand, and tried to make sense of their senseless actions of thievery. "We thought no one was home..." And that justifies your actions, how? Lindsey kindly told the two busted "criminals" that she would have gladly given them the charcoal if they had but asked like good neighbors. But, there they stood as thieves, surely regretful, though most probably only because they had gotten caught.

If you know me at all, you probably know that I hate confrontation. Probably the only thing I hate worse than confrontation is for people to dislike me. [Why am I in ministry, you ask? I have no rational idea. What can I say, but that I'm a masochist?]

The predicament in which I found myself: I was confident that these kids hadn't told their parents. In fact, I wasn't even sure of who these kids were. I did, however, know that they either lived next door or were visiting the family next door. I also knew that I am both a husband and a father, that the parent's next door needed to know what happened, and that I suddenly found myself with the responsibility of telling them that either their kids or dear friends of their kids had stolen from their new next-door neighbors.

Therefore, a confrontation must occur, and I would certainly feel weird about what the new neighbors might be thinking about me. Oh, well... A man I must be. After all, I have a couple of factors in my home that could prove deadly for a couple of idiot teenagers snooping around my home: babies and handguns. These kids next door needed to know, first, that I will not tolerate thievery, and second, that their actions were more stupid then they even know at the time. [This young couple living next door - That's right, the couple with the adorable little kids. - we have guns for crying out loud! We are the last people you should be "robbing"!]

In the nicest way possible, I brought the situation to the attention of the father of the family. He was terribly embarrassed and completely remorseful. I ended our conversation explaining that I am willing to do anything I can, even give anything I can, to be a good neighbor to him and his family - just so long as it's not taken...

The next morning, on my front porch was a brand new bag of charcoal. Well, there you go.

The New Ride

Seeing how our family is expanding from four members to five and our only vehicle has been a 2003 Honda Element, which seats only four, we had to acquire a larger vehicle. And so... on Monday, I purchased a a mini-van. I got a great deal on a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT, and to be quite honest, I absolutely love it.



It's actually pretty fun to drive. It has pretty good pickup for a mini-van. It certainly doesn't drive like a mini-van [For the record, neither does the Element.]. It handles wonderfully and gets great gas mileage.



All in all: A pretty good purchase.

A Refreshingly-Unadulterated Swing of the Axe at the Very Root of the Problem:

Thursday, July 02, 2009

SEX: GOOD, BABIES: BAD
By Kortney Blythe


This mindset seems to be the theme in this week’s news from the frontlines of the pro-death camp.

Take for instance, this quote by Elisabeth Garber-Paul in an article on the rise in sexual activity during this economic recession: "So join the rest of America in this exciting new trend. Save money, stay in, have sex—just don’t make a baby."

That’s right, Elisabeth, throw respect for yourself out the window and spit in the face of God by removing one of his intentions for intercourse. More babies will just make the economy worse, right? Wrong. In fact, one of the reasons we are even in this recession is because of the plummeting birthrate. There simply aren’t enough people to replace the retiring population in the workplace and pay for social security or to stimulate the economy.

Not that you’ll hear about that from the anti-human, overpopulation zealots. But, do your research. Watch Demographic Winter and Demographic Bomb, two documentaries which debunk the overpopulation myth and ask the very important question: IS IT POSSIBLE WE HAVE BEEN FAILED BY THE VERY IDEAS WE THOUGHT COULD SAVE US?

It goes without saying that abortion advocates think saving sex for marriage is ludicrous and archaic. ....Just check out the title of a book just released by radical feminist Jessica Valenti, The Purity Myth: How America’s Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women.

In an interview on RH Reality Check, the author, Valenti, purports that teaching and honoring purity is just as dangerous as the media’s “pressure on sexuality and the hypersexualization of women.” Oh really? So, protecting young people from the heartbreak and emptiness of pre-marital sex, not to mention a load of sexually transmitted diseases, is akin to the objectification of women, the result of which has been a generation of depressed, confused girls with eating disorders?

She goes on to say, “The purity myth is so embedded in our culture and our psyches…You don't have to be forcing your daughter to take a virginity pledge in order for the fiction of virginity to affect your life.” Really? Then, why does every Hollywood film end (or begin) with a couple jumping in bed together? If it’s so “embedded” in our culture then why are abortion, STD and teen pregnancy rates so high? (I’m not going to even legitimize her term “fiction of virginity” with a response).

As if that isn’t enough, in Greensboro, NC a new program is paying high school girls to not get pregnant. That’s right. For every day they stay baby-free, $1 is deposited into an account to be used for college. According to WXII12 news, the group was founded by Hazel Brown, a maternity nurse who thought too many teens were having babies. Ms. Brown, how about seeing the root of the problem - too many teens are having pre-marital sex. The problem is NOT the presence of a baby, but the actions of his mother, which resulted in his existence.

The three goals of this program, called College-Bound Sisters, are for the girls to “avoid pregnancy, graduate from high school and enroll in college,” Brown said. Oh, what lofty goals we have for our young people!....
Teenagers rise to the expectations that are set for them. If all we ask is that they avoid pregnancy (and bonus! we’ll pay you for it), what are we teaching girls about sex, relationships, the value of children or personal responsibility, for that matter?

Instead of urging purity and self-control and demonstrating the joys of a quiver full of children (Psalm 127:4-5) within marriage, this program bribes young girls. If those same girls were taught basic biblical morality they wouldn’t be having sex, and thus, there would be no chance of pregnancy.

The message of this program in a nutshell: Go ahead and sin against God by having damaging pre-marital sex, but just make sure you avoid one of the outcomes – babies.

If only young people knew the joy and blessings they are missing out on when they use sex for purely physical and selfish reasons! Then, and only then, they would cherish chastity as it should be.

To my unmarried friends reading this, please flee from this deadly mentality of me-first, pleasure seeking, sex without consequences. Seek righteousness, pursue holiness and practice chastity.

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”
-2 Timothy 3:1-5

Aidan's 2nd Haircut

His new do...

asleep at the game

a rising star, perchance?

She's got her father's taste in music - interesting, creative, and explosive...



Okay, you can hardly see what's going on, so here goes... Basically, Imogene is playing her piano [Thank you, Mimaw and Papaw!] while singing. She's apparently making up her own lyrics as the song progresses. She also has one of her books [I don't know which one. Sorry.] on top of the piano. When you hear the singing pause and the music slow down, she's turning a page, which leads me to conclude that the lyrics are being inspired by whatever book she's using as a guide.

If you're interested, check out her and Aidan's blog!

omni-

An interesting thing to note...

How we typically define a few terms related to God:
omniscience - God knows all things.
omnipresence - God is present to all places at all times.
omnibenevolence - God is all loving and good.
omnipotence - God can do anything.

* QUESTION #1 - Did you notice anything of interest?

* QUESTION #2 - Is there possibly a better way to think of these terms, are they wholly unnecessary / unbiblical, or are they just fine as they here stand?

on Pain and Death

Let's face it - LIFE IS A BIT RISKY...

Everyone who has ever lived has inevitably faced risk. Risk is not merely for extreme sports enthusiasts; it's a part of life. Every moment that your blood pumps through your body, you run the risk of it failing to do so. Every time you try out for the team, you run the risk of not making the cut. Everyday of your life -and everyday of mine- you risk pain and suffering.

Though the situation seems in retrospect to be quite trivial, I vividly remember the first time I went to a chiropractor. I had been experiencing a good bit of back / neck pain, but on that day, it became unbearable. I could hardly stand up straight, so during my planning period, I ran to see the father of another teacher's student, a chiropractor. He did a bit of work and assured me that it would take several days for the discomfort to let up considerably. Though I was truly thankful that I would feel better not very long from then, I remember getting in my car and being hit squarely by the thought "All I want is for the pain to be gone - right now... at this very moment."

The more I live, the more I am convinced that life comes with its share of pain. Part of the risk of living relates to pain - physical, emotional, mental, etc.

Likewise, death is a risk we all face in life. Just as the risk of pain is inevitable, so also is the risk of death necessitated merely by our living. It's a bit discouraging to recognize the fact that we must all eventually lose our lives to death. No one wins that battle... In the end, we all lose.


* NOTE: merely some thoughts

3894 Due West Road, Suite 105, Marietta, GA 30064

Tomorrow morning, our church - Faith Methodist - will meet for worship for the first time at the address above.

Am I excited? I certainly am.

Will I say more later? I might.

"I don't know how to put this but [it's] kind of a big deal."

on the agenda:
-some time of fellowship with refreshments
-a worship service
-Holy Communion

"School's... Out... for... Summer!"

That's right - today is the last day of school for Praise Academy. Today, we celebrate.