John Piper Quote

I found this in a John Piper sermon given on September 26, 1999 entitled Faith: In Hope, Against Hope, for the Glory of God. "So even today after the coming of Christ, our faith is still future-oriented. Justifying faith trusts God for all he promises to be for us and do for us. This is why faith glorifies God. Believing that God has done things in the past glorifies God somewhat. But believing that God will do what he has promised to do in the future before you see him do it -that glorifies God even more. It honors his present and future trustworthiness. So faith is future-oriented because that gives God the most glory."

As the spring semester continues, I find myself facing many decisions and I was blessed to have find these encouraging words. I pray that my faith increases and I learn to listen more closely to what God has in store for me. I ask that you would pray for me.

Wednesday Night

This evening was an exciting night for the youth. Our church has been without a Youth Minister for about a year and a half and it seems the Lord has a man hand picked. The pastor let the youth know that he would be coming to meet them soon. Some of the younger kids have not even had a chance to get to know and learn from a youth pastor, so it will be such a blessing to have a man he will be growing the young people of FLBC.

Kari joined me for church this evening. She has not been feeling well the past few days, but let some smiles shine this evening. The evening went well with a last minute stop at the DQ with JMob. I had a banana split, Kari had a vanilla cone, and JMob had a chocolate milk shake. Hum...and I just listed off everything we ate!!! I will stop there and wish everyone a good week.

Hot Hearts...Cold Outside, Brrr!

We finished up a weekend at Highland Lakes Encampment at an event called Hot Hearts. Jericho Sound had the pleasure of working with the Jeff Berry Band, Wes Hamilton, and Jonathan Curtis. All three of these acts offered more ways than one to worship the Lord this weekend. Kari, JMob and I travelled up to Highland Lakes Thursday night to prepare for the weekend. Brrr! The weather changed, again. It is no longer 80 degrees and sunny in Central Texas, but rather it is rainy and cold now. That is one of the perks or downfalls of living in Texas, as many put it, if you do not like the weather, stick around it will change soon. This Saturday, Kari, JMob, Kari's friend Dorie and I will be seeing Chris Tomlin live in Austin. This will be the same venue Tomlin recorded his recently released Live Austin Music Hall and the second time JMob and I will have seen him play at Austin Music Hall.

I thank you for your prayer for my Grandad. I talked to my father today and hear that he is doing a lot better. I plan to make a surprise visit to Lockhart later this week and drop in on Granny and Grandad. The Word of God says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

And the Crowd Listened Attentively

The Justin Cofield Band brought six songs this evening at worship. They closed the set with a vocal rendition of I Love You Lord leaving the young people quiet in prayer. As the Spirit among the crowd moved, Pat, the speaker sensing the mood made an alter call immediately. Pat's topic was about finding self worth in Jesus Christ not yourself or others and compared us to an original painting by God. We read from I Corinthians 12:12 and talked about how God made us a unique body. It was a blessing to see these young people resond in such a positive way to the spirit of worship and the Word of God. Descisions were made this evening, so prayers for these new brothers and sisters in Christ will be lifted up. Have a blessed evening.

It's Raining in Austin...And Everyone Forgot How to Drive

On the way to Pflugerville for a Disciple Now Weekend at First Baptist, I encoutered two ambulance in route to accidents. In addition, I saw at least four fender-benders and sat on Interstate 35 for thirty minutes in downtown Austin (that is pretty normal though!). I heard a great joke on talk radio though...the announcer said,"If you have a child under the age of seven, take them outside and show 'em what rain is!" Just a sidenote to the drivers in Austin: It's just rain...slow down a little bit.

Jericho Sound is working this weekend and we are staying at a La Quinta, which I don't think anyone really knows what that word means. We had some trouble setting the PA up, but once we got it running well things went smoothly. We checked into our room and rode the elevator upstairs to learn that room 221 only had a single king size bed. Now for the three guys pictured above, that would be some close quarters. We went down stairs, explained our situation to the lady and she was very understanding. Sleep time awaits.

Tuesday Evening

It is a mellow evening, hanging out at the house and thinking about doing homework. I have to get to work on that paper due Thursday. I am planning a trip to the library tomorrow to begin my research. I decided to research the town Xi’an located in China (sadly, I figure that is the city I am more likely to find the most information on). My other options were Krasnovodsk, Ashkabad, Nukus, Aktyubinsk and a few others, but I have not heard of these cities. I was reminded by a text message minutes ago that I had planned a lunch appointment, but I will have to break it. Not to mention writing the paper, I will need to study for Wednesday night bible study. I am looking forward to seeing the kids and talking about the Word. Have a great evening.

Chili Bowl 2006

The Chili Bowl was played on Saturday, and sadly in my coaching debut, I was handed my first loss. I will survive because much fun was had by many, at least 80 people showed up, and I didn't see to many angry people. I put together the footage late into Saturday night in order to have a DVD made for the Super Bowl party hosted at the church (we edit the commercials out and play music videos and chili bowl footage). My mother was in town this past weekend, as well. She and I visited Saturday evening and ate grandma's home cooking. It was a great time to visit with her, my brothers, my grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins too.

On a prayer topic, I would ask that you keep my Grandad Hellums and Granny in your prayers. Grandad is not doing well and I would appreciate it if you would pray for them. Also keep in mind my aunt Gail, Lana, and father Denis. God tells is in his word, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Racquetball and More...

I have only seen the tennis ball sized blue ball, but never really knew how to use it. Apparently it is known as a racquetball. You get one blue ball, a racket, and you enter a room with six walls and do not have to worry about putting out a light. It is a wonderful game. Kari is taking Beginner Racquetball this semester and I get to learn it as well. If fact, along with fencing, racket ball was on my list of "things to learn." Now, she and I both do not know if we have any of the rules right, but basically if I do not get hit by the ball or run into a wall, I think I am doing pretty good. School is going well. I completed my first five page paper and will be working on another one due next Thursday. The upcoming paper sounds intriguing and I am looking forward to it. The assignment it to find three buildings built in different decades in a town in Central Asia. With this descriptions of the buildings we build a small history and profile of the town. It should be an interesting project. I am looking forward to Saturday's Annual Chili Bowl. It is a flag football game where the adults face-off against the youth. The youth won last year and hope to extend the one game streak. It is a time of good competition and fellowship with many members of the church body (although anyone is invited). Sidenote: Reading a few things of note...for class Muslims in Central Asia, finishing up Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, started Harry Potter #2, and also picked up Future Church by Jim L. Wilson from Bro. Randy's office. That is all...Off to meet Randy, JMob, and Stanley for lunch. Have a great Friday.