Wanna Wanna

This is one of those things I didn't write, but I could have as it expresses my heart in such a profound way. My friend Steve Gwilt shares his thoughts and shines the light of scripture on wanting to want to do the right things, the things that please the Lord Jesus. For this post I've taken the easy route and let Steve do all the work! Just click on the link.
Wanna Wanna

What Every Father Needs to Know

"You Have What It Takes: What Every Father Needs to Know" by John Eldredge was a very good read indeed. Don't let the thinness of this little book fool you if you've yet to read it. The basic point Eldredge effectively gets across in his unique style is this: children look specifically to their dads for affirmation and for the answer to some fundamental questions. First, a boy looks to his dad for the answer to: "Do I have what it takes?" and a girl wants to know from him: "Am I lovely?". Eldredge asserts that it is the duty of the father to answer these questions- hundreds, maybe thousands of times in the lives of their children as he provides a solid, biblical basis for the role of the father. I found this book to be easy to read, very practical and absorbable and something I'll want to read again. I highly recommend it to all fathers and prospective fathers.

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.