July 2011
1 post
What NOT To Bring To The Movies
Pook: (from back seat) Hey Daddy?
Me: (driving to movies) Yes?
Pook: Umm...I know something we shouldn't bring to the movies.
Me: Yeah?
Pook: Yeah.
Me: Oh. What?
Pook: A trumpet.
Me: A trumpet?
Pook: Yeah.
Me: Oh.
Pook: Yeah. They're noisy, Daddy...too loud.
Me: Oh. I see.
Pook: Yeah.
June 2011
2 posts
Last Words of the Day
Jonathan: Daddy, I wish some men would build us a hotel.
Me: A hotel?
Jonathan: Yes.
Me: Oh. Why?
Jonathan: (shocked that I asked) So we can sleep in it!
Me: Oh.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Me: Where would it be?
Jonathan: Umm...(thinking)...in Kentucky.
Me: Oh.
Justin: Hey Daddy, can we get an apartment for our hermit crabs?
Me: (turns lights off) K, boys. Go to bed. (closes door)
Great Moments in Fatherhood
Boys: OH DADDY CAN WE PLEASE GO WITH YOU HUH CAN WE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DADDY HUH WILL YOU TAKE US PLEASE CAN WE GO PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE?!?!?!
Me: Okay.
Boys: YAY!!!!!!
(hugs all around; much rejoicing)
Boys: So Daddy...where are we going?
Me: (smiling)
March 2011
2 posts
“God never pursues His glory at the expense of the good of His people, nor does...”
– Bridges, J. (1988). Trusting God. Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress, pp. 25-26
“Ignored differences make cheap camaraderie.”
– John Piper
February 2011
2 posts
“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live,...”
– G.K. Chesterton
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our...”
– C.S. Lewis
January 2011
8 posts
“You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven...”
– Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s message to troops before the Normandy landings, 02-Jun-1944
“If hundreds of thousands of [Christian] men seriously began to lead their own...”
– S. Farer
(Check out Reforming Fatherhood.)
Top 10 Most-Searched Bible Verses: What's Missing? →
Interesting read re: what the most searched Bible verses are on the popular site, BibleGateway.com.
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4 ESV, emphasis mine)
May we seek to feed on the whole counsel of God, as opposed to merely the sweets.
Fun w/ Phone Rep's
Customer Service Rep: Alrighty, you're all set.
Me: Great. Oh yeah...how far are you from Cincinnati?
Customer Service Rep: Well I'd say we're about an hour & fifteen minutes from anywhere.
Me: Really. Oh. Alright then.
“Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to say to us, “I am here because of...”
– John Stott
The Message of Galatians
(Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1968), 179
4 tags
"Multisite is Multiplying" →
Today, Pastor Brad preached on what the Elders believe God would have Grace Fellowship Church focus on in the days to come. In his sermon, he referred to this resource (a survey from Leadership Network) that you may find helpful in learning more. Enjoy!
“The twin brother of aggrievement is entitlement.”
– Condoleezza Rice
December 2010
2 posts
Great Moments in Marriage
Me: (scanning the radio while driving and on comes "Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox If I Die") Huh?! What is that all about? Country music can be so weird sometimes.
Sarah: ...
Me: Know what I mean?
Sarah: ...
Me: (looks over)
Sarah: (smiling & quietly singing along to every word)
Me: You're so cute.
Sarah: (keeps on singing)
“The past remembers better than it lived.”
– Jackie Gleason
November 2010
6 posts
“The cross was a glorious outworking of the grace of God, by which the Father...”
– R. C. Sproul
7 Years Ago Today
Me: What's the matter baby?
Sarah: My stomach. Something's just not sitting right.
Me: (gets out of bed)
Sarah: What are you doing?
Me: Gotta finish painting the nursery.
Sarah: What? No, baby. First babies never come on time. It's just indigestion or something from Thanksgiving, that's all.
Me: (stirring the paint) Uh-huh.
20+ hours later, Justin Graham LaRuffa was born safe & sound.
“The Strategy of Jesus
There is no person in history who has impacted all of...”
– (excerpts from Elton Trueblood)
Barefoot at Kroger
Me: K, buddy. We're here. Let's go.
Justin: Daddy?
Me: Yes?
Justin: I forgot my shoes.
Me: Alllllllllrighty. Back in the car, buddy.
“True religion, in great part, consists in holy affection.”
– Jonathan Edwards
“Have we this day grace enough to make trenches into which the divine blessing...”
– C.H. Spurgeon (reflecting on 2 Kings 3:16,17)
October 2010
5 posts
Einstein & Sleep
Sarah: Did you know that Einstein never slept in normal sleep patterns?
Me: Yeah, well, look at his hair.
D. L. Moody was once challenged by this statement: “The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully consecrated to Him.”
“He said ‘a man,’” thought Moody. “He did not say, ‘a great man,’ nor ‘a learned man,’ nor ‘a smart man,’ but simply, ‘a man.’ I am a...
“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me...”
– Tozer, A.W. The Pursuit of God. Print.
Time Zones: They're a Doozie!
Me: Hi, I was wondering what time-zone you're in. Is it Eastern or Central?
Receptionist: Well we're on normal time.
Me: Hmm. I see.
“Above all, measure your progress by your experience of the love of God and its...”
– William Wilberforce, Real Christianity: Contrasted With The Prevailing Religious System, (Portland, OR: Multnomah 1982 first published 1829) p. 123
September 2010
3 posts
Driving with Pook
Me: Hey buddy. Whatcha thinkin' about?
Pook: Sigh...I miss Justin.
Me: Yeah? You like hangin' out with him?
Pook: Sigh...yeah. He's a good boy.
“Mommy, you have pretty eyes.”
– Pook, watching Sarah put on makeup.
“An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from...”
– Col. Jeff Cooper
August 2010
4 posts
“Daddy, I wike ma dentitht.”
– Jonathan, speaking of Dr. William Greenhill http://grandslamsmiles.com/
Reading Between the Lines
Justin: Hey Daddy. Did Mommy pack the pool bag this time?
Me: Yes.
Justin: Oh good. That means I have my goggles and the stuff I like.
“It cost God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert...”
– C.S. Lewis
“Daddy, you’re the best wheel-fixer.”
– Jonathan to me, after I fixed his toy.
July 2010
1 post
“Now, dear Christians, some of you pray night and day to be branches of the true...”
– Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1843) Sermon 82
June 2010
1 post
“I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have...”
– Martin Luther
May 2010
3 posts
“Calvary is a blot upon the character of Deity if salvation by self be possible.”
– C.H. Spurgeon
Humble Orthodoxy (Part 1)
(from Facebook note dated 01-Apr-2009)
I was in a coffeehouse earlier today and was just finishing up a meeting with a new friend (I had a great time). I noticed the time and realized I was running a bit late for my next meeting, so I was quickly packing up and getting ready to go. Along comes “Ted.” He was at the coffeehouse before I arrived and looked like a...
4 tags
Interesting Thoughts on Overcoming "Failure...
A generation of young adults are finding it difficult to live up to their potential. Here’s what to do.
———————————
“Welcome to the coffee shop, can I help you?”
“Hey, I recognize you. Didn’t you graduate from Bryan College a few years ago?”
“I did! Well hello, Dr. Myers....
April 2010
10 posts
3 tags
Home Schooling: Inspired by The Steve Miller Band
As you may already know, we’ve decided to bring Justin home for school next year. Schooling methods are often hotly debated among well-intended people, especially conservative evangelical Christians. For that reason, I felt it wise to blog about the reasons we’ve decided to make this change so it’s not misunderstood by the masses.
“Make sure you don’t hear what I’m not saying.”
That’s a line...
ABORTION BUSINESS IN KENTUCKY HIDES POTENTIAL... →
Louisville, KY (LifeNews.com) — Another abortion business has been caught on tape attempting to cover up a potential case of sexual abuse of a minor girl. A Louisville, Kentucky abortion center is the latest caught on an undercover videotape ignoring sexual abuse of a child and giving misleading abortion counseling.
Adventures in Family Bible Reading (Judges...
(Just finished reading Judges 7 when Gideon defeats the Midianites)
Me: And then what happened?
Justin: God was stronger than the Midianites.
Me: How do you know?
Justin: 'Cause he beat them even though there were more of them than the Israelites.
Me: Yup. And they also killed two Midianite leaders, Oreb & Zeeb, and killed them, too.
Justin: Oh yeah.
Me: And they brought their heads back to Gideon to show that they were dead.
Justin: (awkward silence; chews tongue)
Me: So what does that show you about God?
Justin: That He keeps his promises.
Me: Yup. Anything else?
Justin: (silence)
Me: Buddy?
Justin: But I thought they were dead.
Me: Huh?
Justin: How do they bring back their heads if they're dead?
Me: (small chuckle) No, buddy. The men who killed them brought back the heads of the dead men to Gideon.
Justin: Ohhhhhhhhhhhh.
Me: So what else did we learn about God today?
Justin: That He's really strong.
Me: That's right! God wiped out the Midianites with His power, even though there were far less men on the side of the Israelites. He's SO strong and powerful! Isn't that cool?!
Justin: (silence; slowly smiles)
Me: Right, Justin?
Justin: (smiling from ear to ear)
Sarah: You're still thinking about the heads, aren't you.
Justin: (laughs) Yeah.
4 tags
4 tags
“This book contains: the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the...”
– MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1997. xviii. Print.
1 tag
WatchI laugh every time.
“Faith is a resting of the heart in the sufficiency of the evidence.”
– Unknown (perhaps Clark Pinnock or Francis Schaeffer)
“The Word comes first, and with the Word the Spirit breathes upon my heart so...”
– Martin Luther
“A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the...”
– Winston Churchill
“In other words, if I’m a genuine Christ-follower, I have available within...”
– Osborne, Larry. A Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2007. 82-3. Print.