Nova Scotia

Psalm 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.

2 Day unto day uttereth speech,

and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language,

where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line is gone out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

 5 which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven,

and his circuit unto the ends of it:

and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul:

the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:

the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever:

the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:

sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned:

and in keeping of them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors?

cleanse thou me from secret faults.

 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;

let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright,

and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart,

be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord,

my strength, and my redeemer.

Three weeks and counting!

       Three weeks ago, we left on our summer tour.  And while it has been a great trip and we have seen God do some incredible things, I sometimes find it hard to stay focused on the tasks at hand- home is sounding very appealing right now!  Recently, though, my sister Allison shared with me a great quote that she came across- "Don't count the days, make the days count."

       Wow, how true that is!  And yet, it can be EXTREMELY hard to actually implement!  So I got to thinking- are there any examples of people in the Bible who lived their lives like this, and if so, how did they do it?  Here are a two examples I thought of.

       David.  Despite being anointed king of Israel when he was young (Josephus puts the age at ten, most modern historians at 15), David didn't actually become king until he was about thirty!  And even then, he was only king of Judah- it would be seven years later before he began to reign over all of Israel! How did he stay focused on the bigger picture during those years of waiting?  The answer is found in Psalm 37:4- "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."  When we focus on the Lord, His desires actually become OUR desires, and we can be fulfilled in serving Him!  And it is amazing how many of our original desires He gives back to us in the proccess!

       Joseph.  When it comes to making the most of a waiting period, Joseph may be the greatest example ever of someone who found joy and fulfillment in the midst of what appeared to be absolute nothingness!  Most of us would grow bitter at God if we were placed in Joseph's shoes, but Joseph didn't.  How did he continue producing good fruit, even when it looked like God had forgotten about him?  Joseph never lost sight of the plans God had for him- of the purpose God had for his life.

       So when we are tempted to murmur and complain because we are tired of a certain situation or phase of life, let us remember to "Make the days count, rather than counting the days!"

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Are You Willing to Suffer?

      Hello, friends!  Our family recently embarked on our summer tour, so I decided to start blogging again in celebration of leaving! (Just kidding!). Seriously, though, it is easier to blog on the road than on the farm, so I have decided to do a weekly post during this trip.  And since I sometimes get the opportunity to preach at the churches we sing at on Sunday mornings, I have decided to convert some of my sermons into blog posts. (This is called killing two birds with one stone!). So here is the thought for this week.

       "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me."  (Philippians 1:29-30)

       When I read these verses recently during my Bible time, the thought that struck me was this- it is impossible to separate belief from suffering.  The Word of God clearly teaches that these two go hand-in-hand.  Why is it, then, that so many sermons are preached about the goodness of God, trusting God in the hard times, having faith, believing that God will come through; yet we seldom preach about endurance, hardship, persecution and suffering?  I believe that a big reason is this- suffering is NOT popular in America.  We are the most pampered and lazy generation to walk the face of the earth in A LONG TIME, if not ever!  And simply put, we don't like suffering!  

       Friends, it is time we quit worrying about what others think, and start considering what God has called us to!  There are Christians all around the world who are being tortured and killed, and yet we refuse to take a stand for marriage, life, morality, and the Bible- simply because someone might be offended or make fun of us!  

       In reality, though, the world is crying out for something real and tough and strong- something worth standing for.  The world has tried money, immorality, and entertainment, and they have found that none of that satisfies!  Will we be a good example to them and endure suffering as a good soldier?  Christian, you will stand and give and account before God one day- will you be able to say that you took a stand for Him during your time on earth?  

       I close with 2 Timothy 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."  Today, let us ask ourselves- "Are we included in all?" If so, why aren't we experiencing any suffering? There is only one answer- "we aren't standing anymore."

Spring 2014 in Photos

       Here are some of the highlights of my spring-

The Our Time youth conference that our church hosts each year is always a highlight.  This year, Carson, Joshua, and I got to help with the games.  Here we are with the rest of the game crew.

 Here is a picture from our joint concert with the Wilsons at the ATI conference in Big Sandy, TX.  We had a blast; my favorite part was making jokes about Levi Wilson!

My highlight of the conference was being a teacher in the Children's Institute.  

 My assistant (Hope Baker) and I had twelve children on our team- eleven girls and one boy!  Needless to say, me and little Daniel Swanson became pretty good buddies by the time the week was over!

 The week before I left for Arkansas, our whole family went to our local coffee-shop for an evening.  We had a blast playing take-one and rook.

I never have liked coffee, so I generally get ice-cream at the coffee-shop!

Brotherly love (At least, in between rounds.  During the game, it's business!)

Me and Hudson are big buds; I considered putting him in my suitcase and bringing him to AR with me, but I decided not to.  (JK:)  I miss you, Hudson!