You Have What It Takes: What Every Father Needs To Know

At only 53 pages, I figured "You Have What It Takes: What Every Father Needs To Know" would be an easy start for getting a bit of advice on how to be a good dad. First, it's a short book(let) and therefore easy to read, and second, how could I not want to find out "what I need to know"? :) It also didn't hurt that I read "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge and found his style to be one that appeals to the head and the heart; practical, poignant and engaging. This little book can be had for just a couple of bucks, so it's certainly worth a try. I'll post my thoughts some time after I read it.

Why wait?

"Delight yourselves in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4 NKJV)

As my wife and I close in our 5th wedding anniversary, it continues to be the desire of our hearts to be parents. I've been around the house for a couple of days recuperating from a nasty cold, with today being much better than yesterday; praise the Lord. Today I got to thinking about picking up a book on being a good father. Though I can't say I heard the Lord tell me to do so in an audible voice, I believe it's His heart that we act on our faith, even in small ways.

I think it's a measure of our faith to believe Almighty God, as Abraham did, even though we've not yet gotten to where we believe He's taking us. Some time ago I bought a CD which was recorded with the intention of gently ministering to babies and parents, especially around bed time. My thought in doing so was also in faith that the Lord would provide. Now I'm taking it even a step further. Plus, getting and reading a book on how to be a good father, even though I'm not yet a father, just makes sense. After all, you wouldn't try to become a civil engineer without having studied civil engineering, would you?

Maybe part of the Father's plan is that He's giving us time to prepare for what's to come. When we're praying for something we believe to be in His will, I think we should walk in faith, believing He will come through. And when He does we shouldn't be shocked, thinking, "Now, what am I going to do?" With hearts of thanksgiving and gratitude, we should be prepared to step forth in what He's brought us into- including parenting.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 NAS)

First Love: An Historic Gathering of Jesus Music Pioneers PART 2

Come down and see PART 2 this Friday.

DATE: Friday, September 18th

TIME: 7:00PM

PLACE: First Connecticut Open Bible Standard Church

ADDRESS: 139 New Litchfield Street, Torrington

Coffee and other refreshments to follow.

First Love: An Historic Gathering of Jesus Music Pioneers

I know this is short notice, but I'd like to make this available to folks in the Greater Torrington (CT) area. At my church this Friday at 6:30PM we're going to check out Disc 1 of 2 of First Love: An Historic Gathering of Jesus Music Pioneers. I have not yet seen it, but I heard it's very interesting, not only from a spiritual standpoint, but from a cultural one as well. It specifically deals with artists in the "hippie movement" of the late 60's and early 70's. Because the entire program is about 3 1/2 hours in length, Disc 2 will be shown at a later date. For a more detailed description of the film, click HERE.

If you're interested in checking it out, I'd love to see you. I'm sure there will be coffee and stuff afterward.

Here are the details:

DATE: Friday, September 11th
TIME: 6:30PM
PLACE: First Connecticut Open Bible Standard Church, 139 New Litchfield Street, Torrington, CT

Hope to see you there!

The Nines Conference

I listened to/watched the latter portion of "The Nines Conference". This "conference" was really an all-day string of 9-minute video clips from various pastors and church leaders. It's called "The Nines" because of today's date: 9/9/09. I like the concept as it allows many ministers to share, while by nature, requiring them to make their messages concise. I did make a few notes on a few of the messages; perhaps I'll post them a bit later. It was definitely worth my while to catch what I was able to. Whether or not you watched any of it, you can read my pal Steve's fairly extensive notes on most (all?) of the messages by visiting his blog. He watched the whole thing! My understanding is that the messages will be archived for later viewing or reviewing, so check the website for futher details.

In search of quality, consistent devotional time

I've really struggled in this area and would love to hear from others on what has worked for you. I've had excellent times with the Lord, reading the bible and praying in the morning, but quality and consistency evade me. Too many mornings end up with only a few short minutes to perhaps read a small passage or a selection from a daily devotional and then a very short prayer. The time is too often rushed, and frankly, I'm tired of shortchanging the Lord and myself. However, I am determined to start fresh tomorrow. I'm committed to getting to bed earlier and getting up earlier.

Let me know what works for you and also if you too struggle in this most crucial aspect of your relationship with Almighty God.

Living or Dying?

Is it the optimist's point of view to say, "I am living" and the pessimist's to say, "I am dying"? Is it really a "glass half-full or half-empty" thing or there is there more to it than that? If you are reading this, it's safe to say you are living. But it's also safe to say you are dying. We are alive, but as we are aging, our bodies are deteriorating. This may be more evident to some of us than it is to others! The reality is that with each passing year, month, week, day and hour, we move closer to the day when our temporal existence will cease. Everyone knows this. It's even the subject of a number of songs heard on the radio as of late, such as "Live Like You Were Dying" and "If Today Was Your Last Day". It's just that we don't like to think about it. Look at all of the products whose producers claim remove wrinkles. Then you have all of the plastic surgeons out there performing face lifts, tummy tucks and the like. In addition, there are many anti-aging supplements, diets and exercise regimens, all trumpeting the notion that you don't have to get (or at least look) old. Some say the age of fifty today is equivalent to the age of forty yesterday. When this started or how it is determined, who knows?

I think it's safe to say, most of us probably feel aging and dying are terribly unjust. It's just not right to lose that smooth, supple skin. Or for that thick head of hair to become grey- or bald. It's also not right for those knees we never had problems with to start creaking and aching. (Boy, that ol' Arthur Itis is a royal pain, isn't he?) Then we have those sore muscles that used to feel fine in no time at all, taking days or weeks to recover. Don't even get me started about the back problems!

The deal is, we weren't meant to go through this at the beginning. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." I hope I'm not taking this verse out of context, but seems that the eternal aspect of man's soul is sort of wired in from creation. Though the sin of Adam and Eve short-circuited the very first covenant God made with man, the internal sense that life is for living and that death is not part of the equation, never left. There is a great frustration about death because it disrupts all that we know to be good. It leaves a gaping hole in the lives of those left to endure a loved one's passing. It does the same thing in popular culture. Did you think at some point that it just doesn't seem right for Michael Jackson to die? I imagine folks thought the same thing about John Lennon. What about Princess Diana? And the list goes on and on.

What about Jesus? He spoke about why He came and the things He must endure, even death on the cross, yet it still didn't seem right that He should die. Even those in His inner circle didn't get it, and neither would we. But He did die. He was dead as dead can be. But death didn't have the final say because three days later, Jesus rose again just like He said He would. He took care of the terrible injustice of death!

In an age of age-defiance, we have been given a message and a command to let it be known that there is a fountain of youth. (This illustration was given by my pastor on Sunday.) That fountain is flowing with Living Water. That Living Water is Messiah Yeshua, Jesus Christ. This message is not anti-aging, but even better; it's anti-death. From this perspective it shouldn't be all that difficult to let people know about God's love for them, and therefore His plan for salvation. People are doing everything and anything, in futility of course, to defy aging and death. They will never find the solution until they find Jesus. Let's do our part to make Him known in word, in deed and in intercessory prayer.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16 KJV)