For Pete's Sake...

What NOT To Bring To The Movies

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 20:51:12 -0400

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.

Last Words of the Day

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:15:02 -0400

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

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:48:49 -0400

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)

"God never pursues His glory at the expense of the good of His people, nor does He ever seek our good..."

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:42:38 -0500

“God never pursues His glory at the expense of the good of His people, nor does He ever seek our good at the expense of His glory. He has designed His eternal purpose so that His glory and our good are inextricably bound together.”

- Bridges, J. (1988). Trusting God. Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress, pp. 25-26

"Ignored differences make cheap camaraderie."

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:58:49 -0500

“Ignored differences make cheap camaraderie.”

- John Piper

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of..."

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:42:07 -0500

“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of readiness to die.”

- G.K. Chesterton

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His..."

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:53:11 -0500

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

- C.S. Lewis

"You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The..."

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 07:51:00 -0500

“You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory! I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.”

- 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 homes, the impact on..."

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 00:12:08 -0500

“‎If hundreds of thousands of [Christian] men seriously began to lead their own homes, the impact on America would be far greater than one Christian man leading in the White House.”

- S. Farer

(Check out Reforming Fatherhood.)

Top 10 Most-Searched Bible Verses: What's Missing?

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:00:06 -0500

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.

This is a thought-provoking video of a conversation between...

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:00:07 -0500

This is a thought-provoking video of a conversation between three well-known pastors - James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel (Chicago, IL), Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Washington, DC), and Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church (Seattle, WA). Mark Driscoll & James MacDonald have employed a multi-site strategy at their growing churches, while Mark Dever holds only one service at his church. How do these three pastors justify their contrasting positions biblically? Watch Driscoll and MacDonald seek to convince Dever to go to multi-site as he asks them pointed questions about the wisdom of their ministry philosophy and strategy.

Just in case you’re unfamiliar with these men, all of them serve on “The Gospel Coalition” (http://thegospelcoalition.org/). I appreciate the commonalities they share in their rock solid theology, their desire to see people reached with the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, and their passion for solid, biblical preaching of the Word of God. Further, you’ll note the fun they poke at one another throughout this interview. The camaraderie among them is evidence that despite the philosophical differences they have, the common bond they have in Jesus Christ and their love for His people and His Word is what unites them as friends and co-laborers. Of course, their sense of humor & thick skin is very much appreciated by yours truly. {;-)

Fun w/ Phone Rep's

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:46:55 -0500

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 you. It is your sin..."

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:16:00 -0500

“Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to say to us, “I am here because of you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.” Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size.”

- John Stott
The Message of Galatians
(Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1968), 179

"Multisite is Multiplying"

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 11:06:30 -0500

"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."

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 20:58:56 -0500

“The twin brother of aggrievement is entitlement.”

- Condoleezza Rice

Great Moments in Marriage

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 13:04:04 -0500

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."

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:53:33 -0500

“The past remembers better than it lived.”

- Jackie Gleason

"The cross was a glorious outworking of the grace of God, by which the Father commissioned the Son to..."

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 08:32:32 -0500

“The cross was a glorious outworking of the grace of God, by which the Father commissioned the Son to make full satisfaction so that sinners might be saved with no sacrifice of God’s justice.”

- R. C. Sproul

7 Years Ago Today

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 19:50:00 -0500

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 mankind more than Jesus..."

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:17:55 -0500

“

The Strategy of Jesus

There is no person in history who has impacted all of mankind more than Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus was deeply concerned for the continuation of His redemptive work after the close of His earthly existence, and His chosen method was a formation of a small band of committed friends. He did not form an army, establish a headquarters, or even write a book. What He did was collect a few very common men and women, inspire them with the sense of the spirit and vision, and build their lives into an intensive fellowship of affection, worship, and work.

One of the truly shocking passages of the gospel is that in which Jesus indicates that there is absolutely no substitute for the tiny, loving, caring, reconciling society. If this fails, he suggests, all is a failure; there is no other way. He told the little bedraggled fellowship that they were actually the salt of the earth and if the salt should fail there would be no adequate preservative at all. He was staking it all on one throw.

What we need is not intellectual theorizing or even preaching, but a demonstration. One of the most powerful ways of turning people’s loyalty to Christ is by loving others with the great love of God. We cannot revive faith by argument, but we might catch the imagination of puzzled men and women by an exhibition of a fellowship so intensely alive that every thoughtful person would be forced to respect it.

If there should emerge in our day such a fellowship, wholly without being artificial and free from the dead hand of the past, it would be an exciting event of momentous importance. A society of genuine loving friends, set free from self-seeking struggle for personal prestige and from all unreality, would be something unutterably priceless and powerful. A wise person would travel any distance to join it.

”

- (excerpts from Elton Trueblood)