To Abby, on the occasion of her 19th birthday, (with a tip of the cap to Eric Asp, as he does this for his kids)

Abby – I am so proud of the young woman you have become.  Of course, you know how ridiculously proud I am of all my girls, but since it is your birthday, I will draw attention to some of my favorite things about my favorite youngest child…

You are diversely talented.  You are kind-hearted, intelligent, quick-witted, and beautiful, inside and out.  You have become quite skilled at leading worship behind a piano, guitar, or bass guitar – way to rock it out, because YOU ROCK!  You have always been a graceful dancer and in your later dance years, you even became a bit of a choreographer, leading a bunch of young Karen girls to discover the gracefulness God has placed in them as well!  We could always count on you to know your parts and others look to your leadership. 

As your teachers have told you – you are your own person!  As a Yackley, of course you enjoy being a little quirky – but not too much so.  Golly – some people don’t even realize you were homeschooled!

NIPTO!  I don’t know anyone else who has blogged her quiet time every day for a year without fail – what a great foundation laid in your 17^th year!

Apple? Oh, no thank you. It’s gooOOooOd!  You can always make me laugh.  Always. 

Perseverance!  I promised you that every hour spent studying for the ACT/SAT would be worth at least $50 – and you kept trying until you got a score that would reward your efforts – way to persevere, even when it was hard!  Not to mention your awesome 5K this weekend – way to persevere!

I love that you have encouraging verses around your room and bed and have really taken the time to allow God’s word to infiltrate your mind and being.  This allows you to emanate Jesus – to be the light and ambassador He has called you to be.

Disappoinment.  Yes, there will be disappointments in life, but you have learned to communicate and express your disappointments in a healthy way – and that is really important.

Impact and LT! I know you’ve always loved LT and I thank God for the foundation it has placed in your life.

GVUMC!  It is good to get godly input from many sources.  It makes Mom and Dad seem not so strange after all!

H2O! Ditto! And way to pick up the mantle and follow in your sisters’ footsteps while dancing to your own drum, if you know what I mean.

GSCC Worship Team – I know it takes a lot of time, but as a WLK, you've helped me and helped others to worship and I know I don’t tell you often enough how much I appreciate it – just be sure to let me know if it is too much!

Backwalks! ‘nuf said!

IT Bands! Oh yeah.  And Calves – who needs an iSqueeze?!

I know we expect a lot out of you.  And I know no one is perfect – and I never want you to feel that you can’t share something with us because you’d ‘let us down’ – we are all fellow-strugglers, and while at times I seem to place a high value on straight A’s or Happy Jesus Points, your mother and I are always here for you and want you to know that we love you for you – not because of what you do but because of who (and Whose!) you are.  Yes, on this occasion of your 19^th birthday, a prouder papa couldn't be found!  

Because Kaite Asked

Hi. Today has been a good day. There is a new ROM on the droid called Liberty 1.5 and it is fast, snappy, and awesome.

I've also got my code ALMOST working.

I think M. has a study tonight. Rob invited me over. I doubt I'll go.

I started a yearly devotional (on my droid) yesterday. 1 day down, 364 to go (thank goodness it's not a leap year!).

Bonhoeffer on fasting

"...The contast between our behaviour and the word of Jesus is all too painfully evident. We forget that discipleship means estrangement from the world, and we forget the real joy and freedom which are the outcome of a devout rule of life. As soon as a Christian recognizes that he has failed in his service, that his readiness has become feeble, and that he has sinned against another's life and become guilty of another's guilt, that all his joy in God has vanished and that his capacity for prayer has quite gone, it is high time for him to launch an assault upon the flesh, and prepare for better service by fasting and prayer. ...How is it possible to live the life of faith when we grow weary of prayer, when we lose our taste for reading the Bible, and when sleep, food and sensuality deprive us of the joy of communion with God?"

Romans 1 conclusion thoughts

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

People often ask, what about those who have never heard? I believe God reveals Himself through creation and through His character - so that when it comes down to it, there is no one who hasn't heard. It is not just a matter of having a conscience and violating it (although that is part of it) - but somehow, God reveals his divine nature and eternal power to people and they can choose to believe and have faith - or to reject and suppress the truth. We are ALL without excuse.

I'm going to skip a few verses here - because I don't feel like commenting on every single verse - and this is a family blog...

25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Whenever we sin - every time we sin - we are exchanging the truth of God for a lie. Don't we understand that God's way is the best way and Satan's way is a lie?

And then Paul launches into a discussion of the dangers of that:

29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; [they are] gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Whoa. Just Whoa. Or Woe.

Wisdom says to stick with doing things God's way!

Lord, thank You once again for Your Word - and the truth that is found there. Help me to understand the power of Your words - that Your truth is what sets me free. Help me to live in the power of Your resurrection - that as You were raised from the dead so I should walk in the newness of life. Thank You for my precious wife and her birthday beginning in a few minutes. Help her to have an encouraging weekend with everyone home and for our family to continue to grow in You. Make us fruitful for Your kingdom - that You would receive all glory, honor and praise. May we lead many to righteousness - that is, faith in You.

Romans 1:11-17

Well, it has been a busy day - Have not had much of a moment to journal, but here goes...

11 For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you [while] among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.

I posted a question on Facebook based on this verse last night - if God could give you a spiritual gift, what would you like it to be?

I had several interesting answers. Tonight - in response - I posted this:

Romans 1:11 led me to ask this question: 11 For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;
and I realized that we have the POWER of Jesus and His Holy Spirit to be a blessing to others - and that through Jesus, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ). May God richly bestow His blessings upon you. Lisa, may you have a clue. Andi - Humility - (Which is simply acknowledging that all we have comes from God). Tanya - discernment (well spoken, by the way!), Paul - you have His forgiveness (well-spoken, as well!), Debbie - may you have peace that surpasses understanding (Phil. 4:6-7), Cheryl, may you have that peace NOW! and Doug - May we all be living sacrifices to/for Him. Press ON!

Again - is there anything special that we have (that God has given, of course) to impart to others? - and is there something lacking in us that needs to be imparted? The imparting is that they/we may be established.

13 And I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented thus far) in order that I might obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

Paul lived to bear fruit. We need to make that our ambition.

14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 Thus, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

are we EAGER to share the gospel? And do we show favoritism - or are we willing to share with whomever?

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

I can say that I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the POWER of God for salvation to everyone WHO BELIEVES. It is not power for everyone - only those who believe.

17 For in it [the] righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "But the righteous [man] shall live by faith."

LIVE by faith. Every aspect of our lives needs to be governed by faith.

Father, increase our faith. Help us to be aware and sensitive to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. May we find His power in our lives - and the power of the gospel - that we might continue in faith - believing You for every aspect of our lives. Amen!

Romans 1:1-11

Because I commented last night that I have my best quiet times while journaling, I decided to give Abby's method a try. So here goes!

Roma 1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called [as] an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

Whoa! So much there already. Paul considers himself to be a bond-servant of Jesus. Those who know the OT history recognize that a bond-servant is one who has been set free, but out of his love for his master, he remains a servant. What do I need to change to consider myself a bondservant of the Most High?

Called as an apostle. -by Jesus Himself.

set apart for the gospel. Oh, that each of us would recognize our calling and commission - set apart to be an ambassador for Christ. In the world, but not of it.

2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,

The gospel is not a new thing in the New Testament. It is the fulfillment of everything that was written before. God spoke through His prophets and gave us pictures - shadows - of the reality of Christ.

3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Jesus proved He was God the Son by the power of His resurrection. That Spirit - that POWER - that raised Jesus from the dead - that Spirit of holiness - IS Jesus Christ our Lord

5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about [the] obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name's sake,

and it is through Him that we receive grace and our mission to help everyone to come to faith in obedience.

How can we help people come to faith? Obedience of faith? Jesus says if we love Him, we will obey Him. I believe the main thing He wants us to obey is to come to faith in Himself. If we are sensitive to the power of the Spirit's leading, we will understand better how to lead people to a saving, obedient faith in Jesus.

6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

THE CALLED. Not called, but THE CALLED. Paul was called - we are called. The called.

7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called [as] saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Called - as saints. Grace and peace - think about that - Grace from God/Peace from God Himself and the Lord Jesus Christ. We have God's grace. How awesome is that?

And yes - let's not forget - this is being proclaimed to the Italians - those beloved of God in Rome :)!

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world

The FIRST thing Paul wants to do it to thank God because their faith is being proclaimed all over the world. Wow.

9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the [preaching of the] gospel of His Son, is my witness [as to] how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.

Paul prays for them - a lot. How often do we pray for others?

11 For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you [while] among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.

The goal is to build into others - and as we do, we are each encouraged. As I think through the people I'm involved with, I have to ask - What spiritual gift can I impart? How can I build into them? Who has the greatest needs and needs to be encouraged the most? What spiritual gift are they lacking the most? Spirit, speak to my heart as I seek You.

Father, thank You for Your word today - thank You for the spiritual gifts You give and the POWER of Your Spirit of holiness to help us to know how to help others and to live godly lives for You. I thank You for Your church - may we be ones who proclaim You and may our faith be recognized as genuine. May Your gospel go forth in power! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Month-old memories of HSLT

HSLT rocked!
First of all, I was so impressed with the character of the 19 teens that went to HSLT this year. What a great group! For the guys, each guy had a turn as the 'Man in the Middle' - and each one was very open and honest about how God was working in his life and willing to share his struggles. This is the first step to making progress in an area.

During evangelism time, I got paired with another adult leader, John (mainly because none of the teens wanted to go with us). The first guy we talked to was walking down the beach with his wife. He had his ankle wrapped, so I asked him about it and we got to talking. He was Baptist but hadn't been to church for a while. We encouraged him to get back to church.

We then went out onto the pier. It cost a dollar to go on the pier, and $7 if you were fishing. The first guy we talked to was fishing - his family was out on the pier with him. He claimed he was saved, but hadn't been to church since he had been in Iraq. John was familiar with the area he was from (Johnson City, TN) - and may have actually had some relatives that went to his church! We encouraged him to get back to it.

While we were talking to him, an older guy walked by and I felt the prompting to talk to him. So I went up to him and asked him how he was doing..."fine, first vacation in 3 years!" "You're not retired?" "No, are you retired?" he asked me. Turns out he was almost 87 years old - and had been working real estate for the past 57 years. He told me how he had helped out various charities by doing auctions for free. He told me about his implanted defibrillator and how his wife was probably watching us from her hotel room. I asked him if his defib were to stop working and he were to die today if he knew 100% sure that he was going to heaven. He said, I don't think you can know for sure. So I asked, if I could take just a few minutes to show you what the Bible says about knowing for sure 100%, would you want to take that time to do that? Sure! So we went through a 'Do you know for certain' tract - and when I got to the point about asking Christ into his life, I asked him if that was something he wanted to do, and he said, SURE! He said, why don't you pray first and I'll repeat after you... so I prayed with him and I am confident that he knows for sure that he'll be in heaven - not based on anything he had done, but on the promises of God.

(Melissa says, at this point, she'd have just gone home!)

The next guy we went up to was just staring out at the ocean - John introduced us and I said, let me just cut to the chase - if you were to die today, would you be 100% certain you'd go to heaven? He said, yes. I said, how do you know? "I've never done anything wrong!" Nothing? Ever? Nope! You've never lied? Nope. (Except for right now!). Once I finally convinced him that we are all sinners and in the same boat...I asked if he would like to know what the Bible says about how you can know for certain. So we went through the tract and I got to the part about praying - and he said that he would prefer not to pray out loud. So I asked if he would like me to pray and would pray along with me. So I prayed for him - and told him that if he was sincere in his prayer that he could know for sure that God would answer that prayer. Praise God!

Two other significant events:
During our service project we went to Elevated Ministries to help them set up a kiosk and a desk - so while we were there I asked if they needed any computer work done. They said that their wireless router had not been set up yet. So I went to work on it, but did not get it done in the time that we had. I felt bad, and told them I'd try to come back next time. But as it turned out, we did not go back there - so the next day when we were getting our service project assignments, I asked one of the guys who was going to Elevated if any of his guys were computer guys - and he said that he was a certified network specialist. Yay! So he was able to get them set up and we were all happy.

The second significant event:
Wednesday night I was a little overwhelmed about how we would be able to implement all the things we had been learning. I was reminded of Romans 8:11 - where it says that the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead - that power - dwells in us. So that night I shared with the teens that verse and how we can't do it on our own but need the Holy Spirit to do the work in our lives. The next day, Kimball was leading worship - and I heard this line - "There's a power in His breath living inside us. The power that raised, raised, raised Christ from the dead." - and the rest of the song tells about how He has overcome. I about lost it when I heard this song - and asked Kimball later - Where has this song been? Why have we not done it before now? He replied, "About the time you were sharing that verse with your group last night... I was writing this song." And he was kind enough to sing it again Friday night at the closing worship. Thanks, Kimball!

If you would like to hear more of the testimonies from the teens who went to LT - click on the link on the title of this post (gracesummit.org/20070812.asp)

I may not post that often, but when I do...Look out!
Yack