pilgrim in progress // v2

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Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:16:42 -0500

Spurgeon on Prayer & the New Year

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 11:49:07 -0500

For the past 10 years or so I have been reading Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening. This is one of my favorite entries and one of my favorite New Years reminders:

“Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian. If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father’s face, and live in thy Father’s love. Pray that this year thou mayst be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of his love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master. The motto for this year must be, “Continue in prayer.”
~ Spurgeon, Morning and Evening - Jan 2

What part of the body of Christ are you?

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:18:17 -0500

What part of the body of Christ are you?

Merry Christmas 2009

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:26:17 -0500

Merry Christmas 2009

"There are worlds of money wasted, at this time of year, in getting things that nobody wants, and..."

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:58:37 -0500

““There are worlds of money wasted, at this time of year, in getting things that nobody wants, and nobody cares for after they are got.””

- Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote that back in 1850.

I can’t believe it is Christmas already. I am convinced...

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:20:08 -0500

I can’t believe it is Christmas already. I am convinced this year has flown by faster than any other. It has been a year full of blessings. Shawnda and I travelled to Uganda twice, brought home Jeremiah. S & K started gymnastics. K did dance and hasn’t taken her tutu off for the last 2 months. M does his own gymnastics on our living room furniture. It has been a great joy and privilege beyond what I can describe to see our children growing up and loving the Lord.

This year the Lord has been breaking our heart over the nations and the poor around the world and our own backyard. Much of our individual devotional time and family worship time has been spent thinking about ways we can extend the kingdom of God to the lost and the least of these. We have been so encouraged by what God has been doing in the city of Austin, TX through friends and various churches there and began praying about moving.

I have been blessed to serve on staff with an amazing ministry helping families adopt and helping churches develop a culture of adoption. In October we had our second Together for Adoption conference and over 650 folks attended. This is one of numerous evidences that God is on the move in His church when it comes to the orphan. This past month the Lord opened another door for me to serve as a pastor on the team at the Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX. I am humbled and very excited about this opportunity to serve Christ and His people in the context of the local church. We are moving in January and will continue our journey there, learning to love and be loved by our Father. I will also continue to serve in my role at the ABBA Fund and open an office in Austin. I’m also excited to do this from the context of a local church that is passionate about this cause!

Please, if you are ever in Austin, come and visit.

"If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the..."

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:13:00 -0500

““If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.””

- Augustine

"First and foremost, clearly, please remember the poor, so that what you withhold from yourselves by..."

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:45:06 -0500

“First and foremost, clearly, please remember the poor, so that what you withhold from yourselves by living more sparingly, you may deposit in the treasury of heaven. Let the hungry Christ receive what the fasting Christian receives less of. Let the self-denial of one who undertakes it willingly become the support of the one who has nothing. Let the voluntary want of the person who has plenty become the needed plenty of the person in want.”

- St. Augustine, Sermon 210

Karis Singing “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.”

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:55:20 -0500

Karis Singing “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.”

My new screen saver. Can’t get enough of this kid!

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:55:03 -0400

My new screen saver. Can’t get enough of this kid!

Friday. Jeremiah is growing bigger everyday. Big steps from...

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:35:02 -0400

Friday. Jeremiah is growing bigger everyday. Big steps from Uganda. Love this little man.

Ugandan Adoption Benefit concert with Andy and the Andy’s....

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:33:59 -0400

Ugandan Adoption Benefit concert with Andy and the Andy’s. October 17th @ the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte.

Looking forward to Saturday night. Get your tickets online or at...

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:57:44 -0400

Looking forward to Saturday night. Get your tickets online or at the door at the Neighborhood Theatre.

If the World Were Village of 100

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:18:03 -0400

If the World Were Village of 100

Fun with the girls (and new shirt thanks to Jamie and...

Mon, 25 May 2009 11:37:35 -0400

Fun with the girls (and new shirt thanks to Jamie and @aaronivey)

In Evil Long I Took Delight

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:54:39 -0400

In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopped my wild career.

I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agony and blood,
Who fixed His languid eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood.

Sure, never to my latest breath,
Can I forget that look;
It seemed to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke.

My conscience felt and owned the guilt,
And plunged me in despair,
I saw my sins His blood had spilt,
And helped to nail Him there.

A second look He gave, which said,
“I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid;
I die that thou mayst live.”

Thus, while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too.

— John Newton

God has a fatherly care over us.

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:45:15 -0400

chrisdattilo:

Now if we are so much bound to a mortal man as to maintain his honour when we are kept at his expense, what ought we to do for our God? Are we not in his house as long as we live in this world? Have we so much as one drop of water except by his goodness and generosity? Behold, God has a fatherly care over us, and yet we allow his name to be blasphemed, his majesty to be robbed and spoiled of all reverence, his Word to be torn in pieces, all order (that he has commanded) to be broken, the church (which is his wife) to be corrupted and misused, and his children to be debauched, and in the meanwhile we keep our mouths closed. I ask you, whether such silence does not sufficiently show that we are not worthy to eat one more morsel of bread, nor to be counted in the number of earthworm, lice, bugs, and all the vilest and filthiest things of the world?

Therefore let us think well upon it, that we shall be found guilty of the despising of God’s majesty (as we see) because we do not rebuke men’s vices. That is a reason why the wicked and profane become bolder and imagine they have won all to their side, and triumph in their despising of God in that way. It comes partly as a result of our silence.

John Calvin, Sermons on Ephesians, p. 525

"There is no commitment we will make as church planters of greater importance than living close to..."

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:24:27 -0400

““There is no commitment we will make as church planters of greater importance than living close to Jesus. For church planting can become an idol factory; a prostitution ring; a cruel taskmaster; a breeding ground for addictions…we need church planters who will love Jesus with abandon, and who cultivate a lifestyle of growing in His grace and knowledge. Until you know yourself to be slow of heart to believe the gospel, you will never cultivate a burning heart for the gospel. Churches planted with the DNA of the gospel will be led by those who live a life of gospel astonishment.” Scotty Smith”

- http://www.acts29network.org/mediafiles/2008-dwell-nyc-manual.pdf

This is what I get to come home for lunch too!

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:43:27 -0400

This is what I get to come home for lunch too!

Even mommies need to play

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:30:33 -0400

Even mommies need to play