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WOW!!!

God has provided 86% of our necessary monthly financial support through wonderful friends and family like you.  Thank you!

We still need more friends to join our team as prayer and financial partners....please click "join us" on the sidebar or just click here:  http://www.wycliffe.org/Partnership.aspx?mid=2EBEFB

Kara's Nativity

Merry Christmas!!!!  from the Gerths

Here's Kara reading a portion of From Heaven Above, a Christmas carol by Martin Luther.

are you afraid of lions?

"And one of the elders said to me, 'Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.'  And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain."    --Revelation 5:5-6

 Are you afraid of lambs?

Are you afraid of lions?

Maybe you think you're tough and you're not afraid of lions.  That's because you think of lions like this:

Try reading the book by John H. Patterson called The Man-Eaters of Tsavo.  Terrifying!

The Bible calls Jesus the "Lion of Judah" and I've been trying to understand why?  What is the significance of Jesus as a lion?

I understand Jesus as the Lamb.  I get that one.  Jesus is the Passover lamb, the perfect sacrifice, the sinless priest offering himself as the spotless lamb in our place.  Jesus took our guilt and shame onto himself when he died as the lamb.  He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

I get that.

But Revelation 6 describes unbelievers being terrified of "the wrath of the Lamb."   Huh?  Lambs aren't terrifying.  But Jesus is not only a Lamb, he is also a Lion.

Genesis 49:9-10   "Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him?  The scepter shall not depart from Judah."

From the tribe of Judah God promises a king who will rule like a lion.

In the rest of the Old Testament, we see God portrayed as a fierce lion protecting his people and destroying his enemies.

Job 10:16, "And if I lift myself up, You hunt me like a fierce lion, and again You show Yourself awesome against me."

Those who exalt themselves in pride are hunted down by the holy Judge.

Isaiah 31:4, "For thus the LORD has spoken to me: "As a lion roars, and a young lion over his prey (When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, He will not be afraid of their voice nor be disturbed by their noise), So the LORD of hosts will come down to fight for Mount Zion and for its hill."

God will defend his people like a jealous lion.  But if his people rebel against him, ignore him, reject him, and turn their backs on him, he will destroy them.

Hosea 5:14, "For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue."  (Hosea 13:7)

Proverbs 20:2, "The wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion; Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life."

God promised to send a king from the tribe of Judah who would protect his people and rule like a lion.

"And one of the elders said to me, 'Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.'  And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain."    --Revelation 5:5-6

Yes, Jesus is the Lamb.  He is the Lamb who died for our sins, in our place, taking our sin upon himself.  But Jesus is also the Lion.  He is the lion who conquered sin, Satan, death, and hell.  He is the victorious lion who rose again from the dead.  He is the good lion who protects his people from the enemy.  He is the fierce lion who will come with flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's learn to fear The Lion.  By all means, trust the Lamb, believe in the Lamb, cry out to the Lamb...and respect the Lion, surrender to the Lion, treasure the Lamb who is the Lion.

If you want more, read the sermon by Jonathan Edwards called The Admirable Conjunction of Diverse Excellencies in Christ Jesus
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/admirable.html

One last thought...here's what vexes me.  I Peter 5:8 compares Satan to a lion.  What?!  So, Jesus is a lion and Satan is a lion, and they're both fighting for our souls.  Well, Revelation 5 calls Jesus the conquering lion.  Who do you think will win?

Prince of Egypt as a Christmas movie?

Advent Day 2
We had pizza and a movie and slumber party night!  We let the kids open a Christmas present early and we gave them the movie Prince of Egypt. I told them it was an Advent movie so they should watch and see if they can figure out why. 

I read Exodus 15:13, the song of Moses after God rescued his people, "You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation."

I explained how God's people were suffering as slaves in Egypt, crying out to God for rescue and deliverance and freedom.  Pleading with God to fulfill his covenant promises to them.  Finally, God saved his people who trusted and obeyed him by putting the blood above their doors.  I told the kids how we are all slaves of sin and our hearts are dark with sin and we desperately need someone to rescue us and redeem us.  God loves us so much he sent Jesus to shed his blood and rise again from the dead so that we could be forgiven of our sin and free from the punishment of sin.  Jesus' blood covers our sins so that we are clean and pure in God's eyes.  God loves us so much he wants to dwell with us so he sends his Spirit to live inside us.  Jesus is Emmanuel, God With Us.  But we still struggle with sin.  We still suffer the effects of sin.  So we cry out to God for rescue and deliverance and freedom.  We plead with God to fulfill his NEW covenant promises to us. We eagerly hope for the return of Jesus, our rescuer, who will free us from the presence of sin.  We anticipate the day when we will see Jesus face to face and dwell with him in his holy habitation forever.

That's Advent.

Then we let the kids have a slumber party in the living room by the Christmas tree.

And of course, we needed some sugar so Jeannette made these awesome Chocolate-Peppermint Hot Chocolate Stirrers.

Countdown to Advent

My amazing wife designed this countdown to Advent with fun activities for every day. 

On Day 1, the kids made Christmas cards.

And we started our Advent calendar which begins each day with "Jesus is the greatest treasure of all!"

Stay tuned for more Christmas fun...

Advent: Jesus wins

Tonight we began celebrating Advent: reflecting on the first arrival of Jesus and anticipating the return of Jesus.

At bedtime we read Genesis 3:14-15, "The LORD God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

I reminded the kids of God creating Adam and Eve in perfect relationship with himself.  When I asked the kids what Adam and Eve did, they replied, "they sinned."  Kara then added, "did they sin because they were born with a sin nature?"  (one of our catechism questions is about the sin nature) I tried to explain that Adam and Eve did not have a sin nature but Kara wanted to know, "but why did they sin?"  I sadly declared that Adam and Eve chose to sin when they chose to love themselves more than God.

When I finally got back to Genesis 3, I explained that Satan is our enemy and he wants us to love ourselves more than God, just like Adam and Eve did.  We cannot resist or defeat Satan by ourselves.  That's why God sent Jesus to be our savior and our king.  Satan bruised the heel of Jesus when Jesus died on the cross.  Satan thought he won the victory. 

But when I asked the kids if Jesus stayed dead, they started singing Christ is Risen by Matt Maher.  Jesus is alive!  Jesus is our savior!  Jesus is our king!  Jesus wins!  Jesus is coming back to destroy Satan and complete his work of redemption and rescue us from the presence of sin and satisfy us in His presence forever and ever.

Jesus wins!

engraving by Hieronymus Wierix in 1585

Oh be careful little translator what you say...#2

Here's another example of why Bible translators must be extremely precise and why Bible translation is a slow process.

In Vietnamese, the word [ma] with a falling-rising mid tone means 'tomb.'

Therefore, when translating the resurrection of Jesus in Luke 24 the translator must be very careful or he might say,

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the 'horse.' [ma] with a rising high tone.
They found the stone rolled away from the 'rice,' [ma] with a falling low tone.
When they came back from the 'ghost,' they told all these things to the eleven and to all the others. [ma] with a falling mid tone.
Peter, however, got up and ran to the 'cheek.' [ma] with a rising high tone.

Tone languages are beautiful and very complex.  But a careful Bible translator will accurately communicate God's beautiful Word.

(the real verses are
Luke 24:1,2,9,12 "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, when they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the others.  Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb.")

Happy Reformation Day!!

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.1  To understand the significance of this event, we must understand the historical context.

In the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church was the dominant world power.  The Roman church had supreme authority over politics and religion.  The Pope could set up kings and emperors and he could also remove kings and emperors.  If anyone resisted the tradition or teaching of the Roman Church they would be excommunicated or executed.

The Roman Catholic Church taught that the authority of the Pope and the tradition of the church took precedence over Scripture.  This was helped by the fact that the only Bibles were in Latin so common people couldn’t even read the Bible if they wanted to.  The Church also taught that the sacraments were the means of receiving God’s grace.  Baptism, confirmation, communion, and confession were the necessary works required for salvation.  If a person performed the sacraments, they would be forgiven of their sins, but their sins still required punishment, either in this life or after death.  The Roman Church had the authority to grant indulgences, which would free the recipient from the punishment of sins.  Indulgences were letters of pardon signed by the Pope that signified removal of guilt and release from the penalty of sins.  Indulgences also shortened the required time in purgatory, which was a holding place after death where a person would pay the penalty for unconfessed sins. 

In the 16th century, the Pope had to raise funds to pay for the construction of St. Peter’s cathedral, so he decided to sell indulgences.  People could pay money to the church and receive an indulgence either for themselves or for a loved one who had already died.  The men who sold the indulgences would say, “when a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs.”

The Roman Catholic Church was a massive, dominant force in the world of the 16th century.  Now enter Martin Luther.  Luther was a monk in the Roman Church.  He studied the Scriptures diligently and he followed his religion legalistically.  But his heart was in turmoil.  At one point he was studying this passage in Romans 1.

I hated that word, "justice [righteousness] of God," which, I had been taught to understand as that justice by which God is just and by which he punishes sinners.

But I, blameless monk that I was, felt that before God I was a sinner with an extremely troubled conscience. I couldn't be sure that God was appeased by my satisfaction. I did not love, no, rather I hated the just God who punishes sinners. In silence, if I did not blaspheme, then certainly I grumbled vehemently and got angry at God. I said, "Isn't it enough that we miserable sinners, lost for all eternity because of original sin, are oppressed by every kind of calamity through the Ten Commandments? Why does God heap sorrow upon sorrow through the Gospel and through the Gospel threaten us with his justice and his wrath?" This was how I was raging with wild and disturbed conscience. I constantly badgered St. Paul about that spot in Romans 1 and anxiously wanted to know what he meant.

I meditated night and day on those words until at last, by the mercy of God, I paid attention to their context: "The justice of God is revealed in it, as it is written: 'The just person lives by faith.'" I began to understand that in this verse the justice of God is that by which the just person lives by a gift of God, that is by faith. I began to understand that this verse means that the justice of God is revealed through the Gospel, but it is a passive justice, i.e. that by which the merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written: "The just person lives by faith." All at once I felt that I had been born again and entered into paradise itself through open gates.2

Martin Luther trusted Jesus as Savior and he realized that his relationship with God was based on grace alone.  So when Luther saw the Roman Church selling indulgences, he knew it was unbiblical and that it minimized the cross of Jesus and that it cheapened the grace of God.  So he wrote 95 arguments against the sale of indulgences and nailed it to the door of Castle Church.

Martin Luther loved Jesus, loved the gospel, loved the Bible and loved the church.  He said, "the troubled conscience, in view of God’s judgment, hath no remedy against desperation and eternal death, unless it take hold of the forgiveness of sins by grace, freely offered in Christ Jesus.”  “But where Christ is truly seen, there must be full and perfect joy in the Lord, with peace of conscience, which thus thinketh: Although I am a sinner by the law, and under condemnation of the law, yet I despair not, yet I die not, because Christ liveth, who is both my righteousness and my everlasting life.”3

Let's thank God for men and women who have stood firm for the faith and let's allow their example to compel us to deeper love for Jesus and the gospel.


1 James M. Kittelson, Luther the Reformer (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1986); and Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand (New York: Mentor, 1950); and Mark A. Noll, Turning Points (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997).
2 Martin Luther, Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther's Latin Works, 1545, trans. Andrew Thornton, http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/tower.txt
3 Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians (trans. by Erasmus Middleton; Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1979), xiii, xvi.

The Adventures of Tembo and Milia

We'd like to introduce Tembo and Milia. Tembo means elephant in Swahili and Pundamilia means zebra.

Hooray for moms with sidewalk chalk!

Jeannette is doing a fantastic job home-schooling our kids.  Even through two family moves she has kept the kids studying.  Even with younger kids' "distractions" she keeps on going. Today Kara was drawing the solar system with sidewalk chalk.

I'm so thankful for my wise, wonderful wife.

{to all you home-school moms out there, "You can do it!  It's worth it!  Stay focused!  Good job!"}

Oh be careful little translator what you say...

In Phonology class we study how individual sounds work together in human language and how these sounds can make a huge difference in meaning.  Two words can be almost identical in every way except one small difference.  Bible translators need to listen very carefully and identify the correct sounds to use in their translations.

For example, in the Guanano language of Columbia, two words differ in only one sound: [kha'ga] 'get drunk' and [kha'ka] 'near.'  And if the Bible translator is not careful he could translate Ephesians 2:13 like this, "But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have got drunk by the blood of Christ."  Not what God intended to say.

Or the Damana language also of Columbia has two words: [ashega] 'be seated' and [asega] 'cut off.'  A careless translation could say Luke 22:69, "But from now on, the Son of Man will be cut off at the right hand of the mighty God."  Blasphemy!

Can you feel the immense responsibility of Bible translation?  Please pray for the Bible translators working around the world right now.  Pray that they would hear the languages correctly and translate God's Word accurately.

(In case you wondered, the correct translations are, "But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" and "But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.")

Stay tuned for more examples....

Look at that cute married couple, 10 years later

This year we celebrate 10 years of marriage!!!  I still remember asking the BIG question, knowing that she would say "yes!"  I still remember seeing her walk down the aisle, feeling weak in the knees because of her beauty.  I still remember declaring our vows in the presence of witnesses and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  I still remember being announced as "Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Gerth."

These past 10 years have been a joy.  We still love each other and we love being married.  We're still committed to each other and we're still best friends.

We have experienced more of God's grace in these past 10 years than ever before.  We have drawn closer to Jesus in these past 10 years than any other time in our lives.  Jesus has sustained us through sins, trials, conflicts, blessings, joys, kids, twins, moving once, then moving to Texas.  We trust that He will continue to guide us to Africa....

...together.

nobody warned us about Texas Tarantulas

You know how people say everything in Texas is BIGGER?  It's true.  Even the spiders.  Let us tell you a story....

Luke and Ellie were playing peacefully in our front "yard."

When suddenly, {intense music crescendo} enter...the Tarantula.

See the bricks, those are normal-sized bricks.  And that behemoth is 2 feet from our front door!

So Luke and I put on our battle helmets and warrior gear.

And we (I) beat it to a pulp.  Yes, those are guts spilled out on the ground.

Goodbye hairy beast!!!

I googled Texas Tarantula and it's for real.  When I told Jeannette that they make good house pets because they eat beetles and cockroaches, she replied, "But they will also eat our children!"  So we exterminated it.

Why God doesn't answer prayer - a little help from Francis

Our friend Francis Chan offers some wise counsel about why God sometimes does not answer prayer the way we think He should.

Check out these Scriptures and then watch the video...

James 1:6 "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.  For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord."

1 Peter 3:7 "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."


James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."

Isaiah 1:15 "So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood."


Video link:
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/what-should-we-do-about-unanswered-prayer

Ok, so now what's the good news?

James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

1 Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer."

James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

Isaiah 58:9-10 "Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."

Psalm 34:17 "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles."

If you want to read a great sermon by Jonathan Edwards called The Most High A Prayer-Hearing God preached in 1735 click here:  http://www.jonathan-edwards.org/Prayer-Hearing.html

New Dresses and Salsa Night

So I came home from school to find Kara and Ellie wearing these brand new adorable dresses.  They announce to me, "Mommy made these dresses for us!"  It's true.  Jeannette has become a seamstress.  (thank you ladies at Ventura for getting her started)

So then tonight my wife says, "Let's make some salsa."  And I says, "Yum!"  And my wife says, "here's a recipe for blender salsa."  And I says, "Yum!"

I think Jeannette is ready for Africa.  She can sew our clothes and make our salsa.  What more do we need??

30 vowels...and counting

In Phonetics class we're learning 30 different vowel sounds!  And each vowel can be modified in a variety of ways.

Are you impressed with God's creative genius?  God created humans with the ability to speak, which is a miracle.  Then God created us with the ability to communicate meaning with our words, which is a miracle.  I'm not surprised that the Son of God is called the Word who reveals the Father to us.

Now the challenge is learning these vowels so that we can accurately translate God's Word into every language.

A taste of Africa - Fufu and Njama

The other day my wife took me on a surprise date. (and our friends were in town to watch the kids!)

We went to The African Village restaurant here in Dallas.

We enjoyed...
Njama njama which is sauteed spinach with tomatoes, onions and spices,
Fufu which is Ugali which is cornmeal mush,
Jollof rice which is rice with a spicy kick,
and Grilled chicken.

The food was fantastic!  We feel like we can survive Tanzania, now that we know about the food.

And the best part of the meal was NOT the live soccer game on the big screen TV (as much as I loved that!).  The best part of the meal was meeting the manager named Grace.  Grace moved here from Cameroon, West Africa.  I asked her what language she spoke in Cameroon and she replied, "my own language."  She said she spoke Moghamo and a dialect Menemo in Cameroon.  When I asked her if the Bible had been translated into those languages, she didn't think so.

THAT is why we are going to Tanzania.  We want Tanzanians to read the Bible in their own language and come to know Jesus in their own language.

It's just a pronoun, it's doesn't really make a difference...right?

Here's one tiny example of how Bible translation is complex and, I think, very interesting.

In Grammar class today we studied pronouns.  We all understand English pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.  However, in the Malay language of Indonesia there are two different pronouns for "we." 

kita 'we INCLUSIVE' includes the speaker and hearers
kami 'we EXCLUSIVE' excludes the hearers

So if you are translating the Bible into Malay, which pronoun would you choose in:

Matthew 6:12, "And forgive [us] our debts, as [we] also have forgiven our debtors."

   kami because Jesus (speaker) is praying to God (hearer) who does not need to be forgiven.

Titus 1:3, "according to the commandment of God [our] Savior."

   kita because Paul (speaker) is including himself and Titus (hearer)

Acts 2:32, "This Jesus God raised up again, to which [we] are all witnesses."
 
   kami because Peter (speaker) is referring to himself and the apostles as witnesses of the resurrection, not the crowd (hearer)

This is just one tiny example of the complexity and beauty of Bible translation.  And this is why I am in school, studying Linguistics.  Please pray that I would learn, retain, and be equipped.

Waiting for redemption

This morning I read Romans 8:20-23, "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.  Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body."

1

The United Nations has declared a famine in Somalia, East Africa.  Here's the official release:

Across the Horn of Africa, people are starving. A catastrophic combination of conflict, high food prices and drought has left more than 11 million people in desperate need. The United Nations has been sounding the alert for months. We have resisted using the “f-word”—famine —but on Wednesday we officially recognized the fast-evolving reality. There is famine in parts of Somalia. And it is spreading.

This is a wake-up call we cannot ignore. Everyday, I hear the most harrowing reports from our UN teams on the ground. Somali refugees, their cattle and goats dead from thirst, walking for weeks to find help in Kenya and Ethiopia. Orphans who arrive alone, their parents dead, terrified and malnourished, in a foreign land.

From within Somalia, we hear terrible stories of families who watched their children die, one by one. One woman recently arrived at a UN displacement camp 140 kilometres south of Mogadishu after a three-week trek. Halima Omar, from the region of Lower Shebelle, was once considered well off. Today, after three years of drought, she barely survives. Four of her six children are dead. “There is nothing in the world worse than watching your own child die in front of your eyes because you cannot feed him,”she said of her ordeal. “I am losing hope.”2

The refugee camp in Kenya is only 500 miles from where we will be living in Tanzania.

The extreme drought is also affecting Tanzania, although to a lesser degree.  Most of Tanzania's electric power supply is generated by hydro-electric dams, which are at a critically low level.  Therefore the government has mandated power outages for 5 hours every day.3  {Our missionary friends on the ground say it's more like 8-12 hours of outage everyday.}

This is creation groaning under the bondage of corruption. This is not the way it's supposed to be. Drought is a result of the Fall. Famine is a result of the Fall. Disease is a result of the Fall.  Death is a result of the Fall.  Hopelessness is a result of the Fall.

One Somali woman said: "Maybe this is our fate —or maybe a miracle will happen and we will be saved from this nightmare."

Let's pray for a miracle:

Pray for rain in East Africa.
Pray that the Islamic extremists ruling Somalia will repent of their sins and turn to Jesus as Savior and King.
Pray that governments around the world would open their eyes and hands to help those in crisis.
Pray that Christians in these nations would abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that they would be strengthened by Jesus their treasure.
Pray that missionaries would take opportunities to rescue bodies and souls.
Pray that the work of Bible translation would not be hindered but accelerated by this crisis as people see their desperate need for the gospel.

1  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14249733
2  http://www.un.org/sg/articleFull.asp?TID=125&Type=Article
3  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14192896

How many elephants does it take to carry the Gerths to Tanzania?

You tell us...

Each elephant represents a family unit who has partnered with us in regular prayer and financial support:  57...and counting!

We have faithful partners from Roanoke to Wamic and from Duluth to Amarillo.  (we even have some in other countries)  Some give $500/month and others give $5/month.  Some pray for us at mealtime while others pray with us over skype.  Every gift and every prayer is valuable to us!

Thank you for carrying us this far!  If you would like to join our team, click "Join us!" on the side bar.

Now hear this: the big eight zero

When our kids want to get our attention they say, "Now hear this!"

Now hear this...God has provided 80% of our necessary monthly financial support through friends and family like you.  Thank you!

If you'd like to join our team, please click "Join us!" in the side column.

THAT'S THE BIGGEST BUG I'VE EVER SEEEEEEEN!

Let me introduce you...this is Head Brrrrr. 

This little creature monopolized my morning (this is Jeannette by the way).  I was peacefully getting ready for the day in my bedroom when I heard blood-curdling screams coming from our girls' room.  Of course, my heart began to race and I ran as fast as I could into their room.  These were not just whines or the normal selfish cries that so often grace our home.  They were the cries that make you think that blood must be involved and perhaps a rush to the ER is in order.  Well, there was no blood.  Kara and Ellie were frantically telling me that they had just seen the, and I quote, "biggest bug they had ever seen!"  I've heard about the scary huge bugs that live here in Texas.  I've heard that cockroaches are a norm around here, and not just little cockroaches but HUGE ones that like to chase you.  Thankfully I haven't come in contact with any of these little, or big, guys as of yet, and I'm quite ok with that!  I must admit that as soon as I heard the word bug I too was up on Kara's bed feeling a bit frantic myself.  When I realized how pitiful I must have looked and remembered that I am the parent who needs to help my girls overcome their irrational fear of bugs I calmly and confidently got off the bed and began hunting for the mystery monster bug.  He was no where to be found.  Kara insists that the bug was a HE due to his terrifying nature!  Girl bugs would never be that scary :)  I safely removed the girls from the room (felt a bit like I was blocking off a crime scene) and began our day.  Every so often I would go back into the room and search for our new "friend".  As I was talking with the kids about the mornings' events we rememberd a verse that we have been memorizing together.  Psalm 56:3 says "When I am afraid I will trust in God."  Very applicable, don't you think?  Kara agreed and we talked about how we could trust that God is our protector and that we do not have to be afraid.  This same God who sovereignly protects us created this bug.  We then spent some time talking about how amazingly creative our God is and how bugs really are quite fascinating...we just don't like them in our bedrooms :)  We prayed and thanked God for being Creator God and that we can trust Him because He is everywhere present and watches over us because He loves us.  Amazing how this creature, who I hadn't seen yet, drew us to worship our Creator.  Naturally, the next step was to name our new house guest.  We like to name things in our family...plants, cars, why not bugs?  Kara thought Head Brrrr would be a good name.  She made it very clear that Head is his first name and Brrrrr is his last name.  Not sure why, but "Head Brrrrr" he was.  I went in one last time to search for our new friend and this time was successful.  I admit, I had secretly hoped that he wouldn't make his appearance until Ben got home from school, but I guess God wanted me to practice what I was preaching to my frightened little girls. 

Well, Head Brrrr was pretty big, but he was just a great big cricket-like grasshopper thingy which wasn't scary at all.  Wow, what a morning.  I brought him out of the room after repeatedly whacking him with Ben's big shoe and put him on the kitchen floor for the kids to look at.  Luke informed us that if he would have been there he would have gotten that big bug!!  He loves to be the hero, just like his daddy.  Now Head Brrrr is dead and in a plastic baggy for all to look at and be reminded of our eventful morning.  Luke loves it.  The girls, not so much.  But Head Brrrr is a good reminder of our sovereign creator and protector who is everywhere present.

"No Daddy, not new friends...more friends."

Last night Kara prayed, "God, please don't let our friends in Michigan forget about us."  I almost cried.  Then tonight, after spending time with some other kids, I asked Kara if she was excited about making new friends.  She replied, "No, Daddy, not new friends...more friends."

How does a 5 year old think so deeply?

Kara misses her "Michigan" friends dearly.  She talks about them, draws them pictures, and prays for them every night.  She doesn't want to replace those friends.  That's why she refuses to say "new friends."  Instead, she wants to keep the Michigan friends and simply add more friends.

Would you please pray for us as a family that God would provide "more friends" for us.  Our kids need good friends to play with and we need good friends to encourage and be encouraged, sharpen and be sharpened, etc.  Pray that we would also find a good church community to fellowship with.

When Sinners Say "I Do" (part 2)

(continued from the book by Dave Harvey)

"For the sake of our marriages we must see ourselves in the shoes of the 10,000-talent debtor. The appreciation of a massive debt forgiven (our sin against a holy God) forms the basis and starting point for our forgiveness of one another's much smaller (by comparison) offenses. Without understanding the depth of our sin against God and the riches of his forgiveness toward us, we will never be able to forgive others" (p104).

When is the last time you specifically confessed sin to your spouse and humbly sought forgiveness? When is the last time you granted full forgiveness to your repentant spouse?

But what if our spouse never admits their sin? How do I address sin in my spouse?

We must rebuke sin in our spouse like a careful surgeon: with wisdom, courage and meekness (p121).

Wisdom - Proverbs 2:1-6, treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom.

Courage - II Corinthians 7:8-10, For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Meekness - Proverbs 15:1, a soft answer turns away wrath. Proverbs 15:4, a gentle tongue is a tree of life.

"Our temptation is to believe that the way to a good Christian marriage is right teaching, right action, working harder, repenting more, and feeling different. Sure these are crucial, but they are not GRACE" (p138).

Titus 2:11-14, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Grace is the Spirit-power to renounce sin AND to grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (p142). Not only do we need to grow in grace personally, we also need to preach grace to our spouse. When our spouse is discouraged, when our spouse is battling temptation, we must strengthen them with grace, remind them of the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ!

That same gospel is also good news for sex. The gospel of Jesus Christ transforms our view of sex from selfishness, bitterness, and laziness to focus on getting our delight by being a delight (p160).

Finally, the gospel of grace prepares us to endure the sickness and death of a spouse.

"Every marriage has its final moment. Usually death visits one spouse, grief the other. If the gospel has been treasured within the marriage, both spouses will be prepared" (p176).

I Thessalonians 4:13, I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

"When we gaze upon the cross, we begin to see the early light of a glorious day. Your marriage now, my marriage now, prepares us for that day. Marriage exists to point us and others to that day. What day is that? It's the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Our marriages here are an imperfect picture of what we are looking forward to enjoying in eternal relationship with our Savior" (p183).

When Sinners Say "I Do"

When Sinners Say "I Do" - Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey (Shepherd Press, 2007)

A refreshingly different approach to marriage: gospel-driven, sin-hating, Jesus-loving, mercy-saturated, God-glorifying!

Here's the core truth of the book: "What we believe about God determines the quality of our marriage" (p20).  Think about it, if we believe God is distant, cold, and unemotional, how will that affect our marriage?  If we believe God is mean, angry, and vengeful, how will that affect our marriage?  But if we trust with all our hearts that God is merciful, holy, compassionate, pure, and forgiving, how should that affect our relationship with our spouse?

I Timothy 1:15-16, Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

"The big deal is that my sin is not first against me or my marriage.  All sin is first against God ... Once I know that I am indeed the worst of sinners, then my spouse is no longer my biggest problem: I am.  And when I find myself walking in the shoes of the worst of sinners, I will make every effort to grant my spouse the same lavish grace that God has granted me" (p41).

We are at war with sin but there is hope, massive hope in Jesus.  No matter how devastating sin has been in your marriage, no matter how long you have been enslaved to sin, no matter how deep and painful sin has hurt you and your marriage, there is hope.

Romans 8:1-2, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

"What does this mean for us in our battle with the flesh?  It means that no matter how defeated we feel in battle, we are overcomers because of two amazing expressions of the grace of God.  We stand forgiven in God's court because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ - God no longer views us in relationship to our sin.  And we are welcomed as righteous in God's house because of the imputed righteousness of Christ!" (p57)

Then the author gives practical wisdom for resolving conflict.  In every marriage conflict/disagreement/miscommunication/argument:

1. In humility, suspect yourself first.  Jeremiah 17:9, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.
2. In integrity, inspect yourself.  Matthew 7:5, Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye.
3. Admit that circumstances only reveal existing sin.  Luke 6:45, A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
4. Focus on undeserved grace, not unmet needs.  James 4:1, Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?  Ephesians 1:7, In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Then the author tackles the difficult reality of differences in marriage.  How do we overcome divisive, irreconcilable differences and weaknesses in marriage?  MERCY.

Luke 6:36, Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Mercy is God's undeserved, unmerited kindness, patience, compassion, and forgiveness toward us.  "Sweet marriages are built on mercy dispensed."  "Mercy doesn't change the need to speak truth.  It transforms our motivation from a desire to win battles to a desire to represent Christ.  It takes me out of the center and puts Christ in the center.  This requires mercy" (p82).

Mercy is the Spirit-filled power to demonstrate kindness even when you think you will be sinned against tomorrow.  It's the desire to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.  It's the power to cover sin in love.
{At this point I appreciate how the author takes time to address unique situations like abuse, where the most merciful act is to separate and find help.}

Mercy is also ready to grant forgiveness with no strings attached.

Matthew 18:23-35, Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.

"For the sake of our marriages we must see ourselves in the shoes of the 10,000-talent debtor.  The appreciation of a massive debt forgiven (our sin against a holy God) forms the basis and starting point for our forgiveness of one another's much smaller (by comparison) offenses.  Without understanding the depth of our sin against God and the riches of his forgiveness toward us, we will never be able to forgive others" (p104).

Stay tuned for the rest of the book....

Daddy's big school

Here we are at "Daddy's big school" as Luke likes to say.  Actually it is a mouthful: the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics.  I will be studying...
Principles of Articulatory and Acoustic Phonetics
Grammatical Analysis
Phonological Analysis
Cultural Anthropology
Discourse Analysis
Semantics and Pragmatics
Theory and Practice of Translation

Sounds so fun!!!  I can't wait!

75% in Dallas

As we settle into our new home in Dallas, Texas, God has provided 75% of our necessary monthly financial support.

Thank you to those who have joined our team as prayer and financial partners.

If you'd like to join the team, please click "Join us!" on the sidebar.

Livin' on ice cream and miracles

So we're driving to Texas and we stop in Joliet, Illinois for gas, potty, and food.  Dairy Queen was closest to the interstate so they won our business.  Little did I know...Dairy Queen began in 1940...in Joliet, Illinois.  We were part of something bigger than ourselves, part of something historic.  It felt good.  So we celebrated with kiddie sundaes.

However, don't be fooled, our journey was not all ice cream sundaes.

Before we left on our trip, my father-in-law drove me to the car rental place.  He drove away in the rental minivan and I went to start his vehicle.....nothing.  His starter went out.  I was stranded.  This was not part of the plan.  My father-in-law had to drive back to the place and deal with his car while I started packing the two minivans (ours and the rental).

After careful, strategic, jigsaw-puzzle packing, we were on the road {4 hours later than planned}.  We stopped in Streator, IL to visit grandparents and then continued to St. Louis, MO to visit friends and spend the night in a hotel.  It was getting late....very, very late.  And I was getting sleepy...very, very sleepy.  Jeannette was trying so hard to keep me awake with probing questions like, "what's your favorite Jr Hi memory?"  Finally we navigated to the hotel at 2:00am and I stumbled out of the car to check-in.  I was shocked to discover...

MIRACLE #1  Our tire was completely flat.  Why is that a miracle, you say?  God protected us for 8 hours on the road.  God sustained our tires through the barren cornfields of Illinois and the tangled highways of St. Louis.  God sovereignly brought us to our hotel parking lot before the tire went flat.  (and then God graciously provided a good friend to fix the tire for free)

MIRACLE #2  We had been exposed to poison ivy and the stomach pukes but God has sovereignly, graciously spared us and protected us.

While in St. Louis, we enjoyed the beautiful architecture of Union Station and The Arch...

and then our friends treated us to world famous Ted Drewes Frozen Custard.

MIRACLE #3  The in-laws had a problem with the rental minivan and were forced to stop at a "random" service station.  The mechanics were very helpful and informed the in-laws that the problem was no real danger and they didn't charge for their time!

MIRACLE #4  We made it to Dallas, Texas and spent the night in our new home.  Thank you Gracious-Father, Sovereign-Protector, Powerful-Provider.