Merry Christmas

May God richly bless you this Christmas season. Remember:

And, lo, the angel of the came upon them, and te glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in teh city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:9-11

This morning, Kyra said that she was going to help David get dressed for Sunday School. This happened at about 7 am. In just a minute, out they came dressed and ready! Boots, jeans, hats, gloves, and stick horse! Of course Blue dog and a cup of milk were part of the crew as well! Aren't they great? Needless to say, Mom wanted them to change before Sunday School, but they did have a good time for a few hours riding stick horses!

This week, I am thankful for my relationship with Jesus Christ through His shed blood on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. I am thankful for all of my family and especially for my wife, Wendy and my kids, Kyra, David and Baby Girl still in the oven. I am thankful for our church family and our community that loves us and takes great care of us.

What is Love?

I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about what love looks like in the flesh. You know as a married couple, we often have that thought in the back of our mind…if some day I were to become unable to care for myself, would my spouse really do all the yucky stuff that would have to be done. Well God has confirmed that I have a man who takes God’s word and his marriage vows seriously. Over the last month, Rody has truly loved his bride as Christ loves the church. Remember the picture of Jesus washing the disciples feet…let me give you a picture of what that looks like on a daily basis. It is a dad who wipes dirty bottoms, doctors hurt toes on a screaming 5 year old, gets endless cups of milk and juice a day, fixes breakfast, lunch and dinner (or warms up what SO many gracious friends and family have supplied), cleans the kitchen 3 or more times a day, scrubs bathrooms, floors and everything else we mess up, has learned to do laundry (and is better at folding and putting it up than I am), baths and puts kids to bed and then cleans up the whirlwind of toys left in their bath. All this without grumbling or complaining…WHAT A MAN!!! Kyra, David, this new baby and I are truly blessed!!!

Hangin' Out

Chin ups! Kyra and David like to work out with me. They are great cheerleaders for each other and love to do chin ups. (Well, they love to hang and sometimes they can do A chin up!)

Hey Dad, Come Here!

I heard, "Hey, Dad, come here!" So I went into Kyra's room and I didn't see anyone. Then I heard laughing and Kyra said, "In the closet!" So I looked in the closet and they had made a bed in the toy basket! They were laughing and having a great time together and I just doubled over laughing.

Kids are such a blessing. It is so nice when they are playing together. They don't always do that. Sometimes they are fussing with each other. But finding the nest in the closet was a blessing!

We love you all!

Our Church's Upcoming Fall Revival

November 26 - 29
Evangelsit David Burk

David is a long-time friend of GBC and has been called of God to preach the gospel of Christ.

God has led him to preach in 19 US States, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, Venezuela, Cambodia, India, Ireland, Thailand, Ghana, Pakistan, Egypt and Kenya.

Worship Led by: Dean & Delk

Michael Dean & Neal Delk are not only gifted musicians but truly desire to lead people in worship through song.

Sunday Nov 26 11:00 am

Sunday Nov 26 5:00 pm

Monday Nov 27 6:30 pm

Tuesday Nov 28 6:30 pm

Wednesday Nov 29 6:00 pm Dinner $3/plate

6:30 pm Revival

Whether you have followed Christ all your life or desire to know more about this man Jesus Christ, we invite you to come and encounter this life-changing truth.

Wendy is Home!

Wendy got released from the hospital around 11:00 am today and we got home about 3:30 pm. It is good to have her home! The doctors told her that she could be as active as she has been in the hopital this past week. They didn't put her on bed-rest, but they did say not to do very much at all.

Thank you for all the prayers, cards, visits, calls, flowers, emails, food and concern. Please continue to pray for Wendy and the baby girl. We love you all.

Wen in Lubbock

Well, the doctors are saying that Wendy may get to go home on Monday. The contingency is that there must be no more bleeding. Thursday night about midnight, she began bleeding. You should have seen how fast the nurses moved! They immediately had an iv started and a doctor called. They then moved her back to the intensive care unit of the birthing center. This morning, the doctors said they expected this and that since it was not new bleeding it was OK. They moved her back about ten this morning to a regular room. She is doing good. She feels good, we just need for her to not bleed anymore.

Thanks for all the calls and emails and notes and flowers and cards and prayers. Especially the prayers! God is good and He answers the prayers of His children.

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Psalm 50:15

We love you all and hopefully we will be home soon.

Update on Wendy

Friday afternoon, Wendy and Kyra & David were returning home from a birthday party in Clovis. She had a 'spell' that caused her to feel as if she were having a heart attack. She was making a left-hand turn in a divided street. She apparently passed out and let her foot off the brake. She rolled through the intersection surrounded and escourted by God's angels apparently since she was not T-boned by anohter vehicle. The car rolled into the opposite car that was also making a left-hand turn in the opposite direction.

Kyra tells the story like this: "Mom just went to sleep and we were yelling at her, 'Wake up Mom; Wake up,' but she just had her head back on the seat and we crashed into that other car!"

The 'crash' wasn't much because there is no damage to Wendy's car. The kids are just fine - thank God. Wendy was taken to the hospital and when I got there she was bleeding really bad. She lost a lot of blood and they began giving her blood transfusions. They knew she needed blood products to cause her blood to clot that they did not have in Clovis, so Aerocare transported her to Lubbock - University Hospital. They gave her more blood and plasma and other blood clotting agents. And began to prepare for the possibility of an emergency induced labor. They were afriad that if she would not stop bleeding that they would have to deliver our third little one - which by the way is a girl! ThankGod they were able to get the bleeding to stop and then they began trying to find out why she was bleeding in the first place. They also began preparing us to stay in the hospital for a while. Well, we are ready to do whatever it takes to keep Wendy helathy AND bring a healthy baby girl to term and into the world. The baby is only 21 weeks old and if she were delivered now, her chances of being able to live are very low. Her lungs are not yet developed.

We found ourselves in need of God's wisdom. There is a fine line between risking Wendy's life and saving the life of our daughter. Thank God for Doctors that know what is growing in Wendy's womb is a baby and not a thing that will be a baby when and if it is born!

We were completely prepared to stay as long as necessary, but thank God the doctors think that things are under control and Wendy is getting moved from the Intensive Care part of Labor & Delivery to another floor. They also said this morning that if she does not bleed anymore we can maybe go home at the end of the week.

Still a lot of unknowns, but I know the ONE who knows the futre and knows ALL the answers. Thank you all for your prayers. Please keep it up. God hears & answers when His children call out to Him. We thank God for all our brothers & sisters out there who know Jesus and will pray in His name for us.

Let me also say how awesome the EMT's, ambulance drivers, nurses, doctors, staff, & Aerocare guys are both at Clovis and at UMC in Lubbock. They are truly instruments of God's grace to us all. I also want you to know what a trooper Wendy is. She is tough as nails and at one of the hardest times of her life I saw a person who was truly patient in suffering and full of grace. She is full of Jesus.

We love you all and remind you of God's promise to us in Romans 8:28 ANd we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. God has a plan in the midst of this and we want to be right in the middle of His plan and His will. We would never have got to meet some of the awesome people we have met if this had not happened and we also have got to see some old friends. Thank you Jesus.

We love you all. Rody & Wendy

Home

Well, we're doing good here at the Chesser house. We are anxiously waiting for our new little sister. While we wait we are hanging out in our favorite chair having a snack and telling stories about the last time we got to go to Granny and Grandad's and ride horses or about the fish that we caught at Nanna & Paw Paw's. We are also VERY helpful around the house since we know that Mom has to take it easy. We clean and vacuum for Mom. (Never mind if we are the mess-makers as well!) We love you all and pray that God richly blesses you In Christ.

Talking about Pakistan

Today I spoke on our Paksitan trip at church. If you would like to listen to the mp3, please go the the GBC blog and listen!
http://www.gradybaptistchurch.blogspot.com

Sunday morning

Here is a picture of us in a Christian school in Lahore, Pakistan. As we gather with God's people to worship and fellowship today, please remember our brothers and sisters all over the world who are worshipping Jesus together with us. We have so many privilidges here in the good ole' US of A. Let us not take for granted that to whom much is given, much is required. We have a thousand times the resources and opportunites to witness for our faith as our brothers in Pakistan. It is not against the law for a person to become a follower of Jesus here in America, but it is there. We should be taking every opportunity to preach the gospel to all creation because that is what our Lord has instructed us to do.

I love you all and pray that you have a blessed Lord's day.
-R

It's Good to be home!

Got home last night about 8:30 PM. When I got off the plane in Amarillo I was greeted by Kyra and David running to meet me. Man that is a good feeling. I thank God for the opportunity to travel to Pakistan and to preach the gospel. I also thank God for bringing me home safely and getting to grab up Wendy and the kids and get a big hug when I got home.

As I reflect on this trip I am amazed. I learned so much about Muslims and about Pakistan. The thing that I already knew but was reminded of is this: the harvest TRULY is plentiful. The fields are white for the harvest. Jesus told us this was so and it is. He also told us to pray to Him, the Lord of the Harvest to send forth laborers into the harvest.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for our trip. God answered your prayers in mighty ways. The neat thing is that prayer for our safety - we will never know what kind of danger He protected us from, but in this instance, ignorance is bliss. Thanks also to everyone who gave financially for this trip. I can tell you that it was invested in a kingdom work that will yield the result of eternal life for many in Pakistan and some day in heaven we will meet with them as brothers and sisters for eternity.

I love you all and can't wait to share the stories of what God has done.

Oh, yeah - thanks for the prayers for Cork. He was doing much better when we split up yesterday. Please pray for David because whatever Cork had, he got in Malasya. He is leaving Bangkok today and is feeling better.

-R

Ramadan

Yesterday was the beginning of Ramadan. This is the fast that followers of Islam observe. It lasts for 30 days and its timing is based on the lunar calendar. It was supposed to start on Sunday, but the moon was not exactly in the right phase, so it began on Monday. Faithful followers of Isalm will not eat during the daylight hours. They have in our hotel room a Ramadan calendar which gives exact times of daylight and dark so that a person can make sure they don't eat during the day.

You cannot buy food during the day - even McDonalds was closed yesterday! Once the sun goes down, they eat. Our friend, Sattar told us several times that he had kept the fast now faithfully for 25 years. Religion.

How cool is this? I had the honor of standing up last night in the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ! On the first night of Ramadan, I was able to preach that Jesus is not JUST a prophet, He is the virgin born, sinless, son of God Himself. I got to preach the cross and repentance and faith in Jesus. Even as I could hear the Muslim call to prayer in the city of Patoki, I was able to offer an invitation to come to Jesus and trust Him alone. I was able to share the ASSURANCE of our salvation in Christ. So many in this world think that if you are good enough you can go to heaven. Jesus tells us because of His grace He saves us, not becasue of works of righteousness we have done! (Titus 3.5). And you know what? The Holy Spirit was at work in these people's lives and they responded! Hundreds embraced Christ and called on His name to save them. God is SO good. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Today we head home, keep praying for us as we still have many opportunities. I love you all.
-R

Lord's Day

This morning we went to church with our brothers and sisters in Pakistan. David, Cork and I split up and went to three different fellowships to preach. Problem - Cork has Montezuma's revenge (was Montezuma Pakistani?). Please pray for him. I preached at a church of about 100 people. There were three people responding to the invitation.

As I got up to preach, I asked how many people were raised in a Christian home. All of them raised their hands. I asked how many were raised in a Muslim home - none. It seems that the church in Pakistan is a lot like the church in America. There is a Christian culture here and there are very few Muslims who are hearing the gospel and being born again. I realize that it can mean persecution to preach the gospel and to convert from Islam to Christianity, but Jesus would not have told his followers that He sent them out as sheep amidst wolves if it wasn't potentially dangerous (Luke 10).

Tonight Ramadan starts. The faithful Muslims will fast during the daylight hours for thirty days. We are told we will have a hard time finding lunch tomorrow. (It probably wouldn't hurt for us to skip a meal or two!!! :) We watched the Ramadan kick off on TV tonight before bed. There are thousands of Muslims in Mecca praying and walking in circles around the Kabba. So sad, religous people but no relationship with God. Pakistan is a country of Religion. Here you can tell what people believe by what they wear. They all have special holy days and religion is very outward. Pray that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment as He opens the eyes of their hearts to hear the good news of Jesus and be set free from the religion that keeps them blind.

Tomorrow we hang out and go to the market in the morning and then we preach at another crusade in Patoki. Please pray for us that God will draw people to Himself, that the Word would run swiftly and be glorified, for boldness and clearity as we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, pray for open doors and for our deliverance because not all men have faith.

I love you all and wish you were here.
-R

Leadership Conference

Hey everybody - I forgot to give a report on the leadership conference on Saturday morning. We had a good group of 100 - 120 pastors, Bible school students, and church leaders attend the conference. David, Cork and I took turns teaching about ministry and mission. It was a great time and very encouraging to have the discipleship opportunity to equip the church in Pakistan.

WOW!

Do you remember a day when Peter got up to preach Christ to a Jewish crowd and about 3000 were saved? Well I thought of that last night. There were more people at the crusade last night 7000+. There is really no way to know how many, but there were a lot more people.

As we were worshipping I was praising the LORD and thinking that here we are in the ISLAMIC! Republic of Pakistan and there are literally thousands of people who have come to hear the gospel. If we had a big meeting in America we would rejoice but it would not be such an incredible reality as it is in an Islamic republic. God is so good. The Holy Spirit was ALL OVER the place. During the invitation, the people were sitting and the stadium was so full that there was not room at the front to invite people to come forward to respond, so David invited those who were ready to trust Jesus to stand where they were. Several thousand people responded and it was absolutely wonderful.

Here is the reality - there are people ALL OVER the world just waiting to hear the message of forgiveness and grace in Jesus and ready to respond. The Lord Jesus said that if we would follow Him he would make us fishers of men. I got an email from Wendy and she said that my little David caught a two pound cat fish with his Paw Paw in Carlsbad! I pray that he follows Jesus and turns that love of fishing that he has into a love of fishing for men.

Keep praying as we are spreading out to preach in three different churches in Lahore this morning. I love you all.

-R

God is at Work in Pakistan

Wow! God is so awesome. The amazing thing about following Jesus is that you find that God is at work all around you even before you get where you are going! Last night was amazing. There were well over 5000 people in attendance at the crusade and there were too many responding to the invitation to count! Praise God. Here you can see some really interesting shoes that were given to me (Rody) - aparently these are the shoes that a prince would wear. Now I definitely do not deserve to wear them, but I am reminded that Peter tells us we are a holy nation, a royal priesthood! In Jesus we are royalty and we have the privilidge of inviting others to become sons and daughters of the King! He has many new sons and daughters after last night!

Keep praying and seeking the Lord. God is moving mightily in Pakistan. Today, we will be leading a pastors and leaders conference and then back to the crusade again tonight. I love you all and keep praying for us - 2 Thes 3:1-3.

-R

Culture

Culture is a funny thing. The culture a person grows up in is something you don't think about until you are in another one. A fish never thinks about water until he is out of it. We are definitely in a different fish bowl. I grew up in a culture where Christianity is the dominant ''religious' view. Here, in Pakistan, the dominant religous view is Islam. The people here are like fish in water, they cannot imagine something different, just like it is hard for many Americans to imagine anything different from their cultural experience.

The mission, should we choose to accept it, is to live in the culture of Jesus. No matter what the culture is in the place where we live, Jesus tells us that as His followers, we are citizens of His kingdom. Live like it no matter what culture around you says or does. We (David Burk, Emmett Corker, and me) are following Jesus in a Muslim culture. We don't want these people to embrace Western or American values. Our prayer is that they would meet the person of Jesus Christ and embrace this life in Him. I believe that when we follow Jesus it will change the world no matter where we find ourselves.

Jesus said, "I don not pray that YOu should take them our of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. John 17:15-16.

In the world, but not of the world.
Following Jesus
_--R

Culture

Culture is a funny thing. The culture a person grows up in is something you don't think about until you are in another one. A fish never thinks about water until he is out of it. We are definitely in a different fish bowl. I grew up in a culture where Christianity is the dominant ''religious' view. Here, in Pakistan, the dominant religous view is Islam. The people here are like fish in water, they cannot imagine something different, just like it is hard for many Americans to imagine anything different from their cultural experience.

The mission, should we choose to accept it, is to live in the culture of Jesus. No matter what the culture is in the place where we live, Jesus tells us that as His followers, we are citizens of His kingdom. Live like it no matter what culture around you says or does. We (David Burk, Emmett Corker, and me) are following Jesus in a Muslim culture. We don't want these people to embrace Western or American values. Our prayer is that they would meet the person of Jesus Christ and embrace this life in Him. I believe that when we follow Jesus it will change the world no matter where we find ourselves.

Jesus said, "I don not pray that YOu should take them our of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. John 17:15-16.

In the world, but not of the world.
Following Jesus
_--R

Pakistan

Hey everybody! Well I'm in Pakistan and God is good! We have had a great day meeting with our brothers here who are planning the meetings we will be having in the next few days. We also have had a great opportunity to talk with some of the hotel staff. We are learning about the Muslim world and their beleifs. Pray for our Muslim friend Sattar. He is a wonderful man who works here and he told us a lot of what he believes as a muslim. He basically believes that all religious people who are good are right with God and that our faith should show itself in good works. We hope to visit with him more.

I love you all and thank everyone for their prayers. Keep it up!
2 Thes 3:1-3

Rody

First Day of School

The first day of school can be a traumatic time for parents as they send thier little ones off. Ours was a little different. Kyra began homeschool this week and it went great. She is so smart and Wendy is an awesome teacher. Can you believe how big she is? I got to see her show and tell as she showed me a book she had made about her family and hear about her summer vacation to North Carolina. She is learning to write and she begins phonics next week. Math is a breeze for her and she loves her Bible stories and listening to the Little House on the Prairie book that Wendy is reading to her.

Kids are great! We love you all and hope that all is well.

Adopt a What?!

Kyra has been watching Free Willy. If you have kids, you know how this thing goes. You rent a dvd or video and if you have five days to keep it, they watch it like 20 times. Anyway, at the beginning of the movie there is an advertisement for an adopt a whale program to raise money for protecting endangered species. Kyra comes running into the room the other day and says, "Dad, I want to adopt a whale!"
"Adopt a what?" I ask.
"Adopt a whale. You, know like Shamoo or Willy. And since the trainers can't teach it anything, but the little boy can I could teach it and ride it and I promise to take care of it!" she says, animated and out of breath by this time.
"Where will you keep it?" I asked, laughing.
"Right out there," she answers pointing to the lot West of our house.

Well, her aspirations were put on hold when she found out that you have to be 18 years old and have a credit card to adopt a whale. She, however thinks that rule is unnecessary since she could take very good care of her whale which, by the way, she would name Barbie!

At this point I just went for a short walk and with tears in my eyes thanked my heavenly Father for the gift of children. I learn a little bit more about our Father's heart every day as I learn from my kids. Can't you just imagine some of the requests that our Father receives from His children each day? With wide-eyed wonder His children come to Him asking to adopt whales. He has to laugh and smile and then lovingly give us what is best for us (and for the whale). I'm afraid a whale in our town wouldn't last long and we would be adding to their extinction rather than helping to stop it. But I guarantee you this - when we get a chance, we are going to Sea World so she can see one, and maybe even feed and swim with one.

So go ahead, ask Father for a whale and know that He will listen and love you. Also know this: He knows what you need even before you ask Matthew 6:8. Father may not give you a whale to live in the desert, but He knows your heart and when you delight in Him, He will give you the desires thereof Ps 37:4.

-R

It's Been a While

Sorry it has been such a long time since we posted on our blog. Wow has summer ever been crazy. We have been busy, yes, but not so busy that I couldn't write a few thoughts on what's going on at our house. We had a great time last weekend at Nana & Paw Paw's waterskiing and swimming in Mike's pool. We have also been jumping on the trampoline a lot this summer.

Summer has really made me think about simplifying life. Why do we make things so complicated? Especially our walk with Christ. Each day we get up and begin a new adventure in following Him. That should be what the Christian life is all about. But instead we have ten million things for 'good Christians' to be a part of. Oh well, this summer for us is about simple. It's about home, friends, church and family. Thanks for being friends!

Sandcastles

Have you ever built a sandcastle? It really takes a lot of work. You work and work and get it just right. Then you come back a little later and the tide has come in and the sandcastle is gone.

Jesus told a story about a wise man and a foolish man. The wise man built his house on the sand and the other on the rock. When the storms of life came, the house on the rock stood while the house on the sand fell. Jesus said that to build your life on what He says makes you a wise person. Are you building your life on what Jesus said?

Sandcastles

Have you ever built a sandcastle? It really takes a lot of work. You work and work and get it just right. Then you come back a little later and the tide has come in and the sandcastle is gone.

Jesus told a story about a wise man and a foolish man. The wise man built his house on the sand and the other on the rock. When the storms of life came, the house on the rock stood while the house on the sand fell. Jesus said that to build your life on what He says makes you a wise person. Are you building your life on what Jesus said?

The Beach!

Here we are at Carolina Beach! Oh, no that's not me, thats Taylnn and TaBree. We are having a great time - it's supposed to rain tomorrow. We need it so much at home that it won't bother me any at all. Amazing thing about sitting beside the ocean - the book of Job says that God spoke to the waves and said, "This is as far as you can go." Wow! God is so amazing and when you get a chance to see the beauty of His creation you are amazed all over again.
-R

David Needs the Exercise!

Some friends gave us a seat for a little guy like David to go on the back of my bike. This morning, we went for a ride. He loved it. He was real quiet until we went down the hill south of town. I peddled as fast as I could and about half way down, David let out a 'wooo - hoooo' that would impress any bronc rider! Spending time with my kids is one of the most important things that I do. I can't tell you how many people I have had tell me, "Enjoy it now because they grow up so quick!" I have also never heard of a person lying on thier death bed saying that they wished they would have worked more and spent less time with thier family. I'm going to do my best to spend time with my kids and enjoy every minute of discipleship as they grow up!

Love you guys (our readers) and look forward to sharing more stories from our journey in following Jesus!
-R

First Haircut

David will be 2 next month (June 14) this week he got his first real haircut. He was such a big boy! He was a little apprehensive at first and when the clippers fired up, his bottom lip quivered a little, but soon he just got real quiet and watched closely in the mirror. Good job David!

I guess unless you have been there it would be hard to understand what a wonderful moment that was for a dad. It was just me and David. It was like a kind of right of passage or something. I really didn't know how he would react. Would he cry? Would he fidget?

Once again as I look at my son, I can see a little of the heart of God the Father. I rememebered Jesus at His baptism and on the mount of transfiguation hearing the voice of the Father saying this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. I told David how pleased I was with him. What a great day!

Mornings

There is something wonderful about getting up in the morning. It is the beginning of a new day. There are endless possibilities. The air is cool and the light is indirect. This the the time when God speaks. This is the time when it is quiet enough to hear His still small voice. The mind is fresh, the spirit is open.

My two favorite times of the day are sunrise and sunset. Here are my two favorite kids first thing in the morning. David having some milk and Kyra tending her babies.

Thumbs Up!

This is what we think of MOM! There is no substitute for MOM, but we have been getting by the best that we can. A few things I have learned this week being a single parent.
1. It's lonley.
2. It's a lot of work - every night I have fallen into bed exhausted.
3. It is a FULL TIME job.
4. The time with the kids has been awesome and we have really had a good time, but it is really hard to get anything else done.
5. My hat is off to single parents they have quite a challenge.
6. Shame on a man for being selfish and abandoning his wife and family.
7. Shame on a woman for being selfish and abandoning her husband and family.
8. God gives a greater grace to single parents.
9. Pray for single parents, they need our prayers.
10. Thank God for Kids! Thank God for Moms!

Great article on what Mom's need at http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%253D150822%2526M%253D200663%2C00.html
-R

Hair!

Yesterday morning, Kyra and David and I had plans to go to Clovis and run errands. Kyra called Wendy (she is almost five years old and she knows Mom's number and can call her all by herself!) Kyra's big concern was that since Mom was gone, who was going to do her hair? Kyra came and asked me if I could take her to the Senior Citizen's so she could get Melissa to do her hair. Dad's just can't do that kind of thing! Well, we did the best we could.

Thank God for kids!


This picture is for Mo from Kyra.

We Miss You Mom!

We're batchin'! We're playin' and having fun, but it isn't the same without MOM! We miss you Mom. We know that you are going to have a great week in Kansas and that we will have a great week here, but we miss you all the same!

We love you MOM!

-K & D

Jesus the Church Misfit Chapter 3

http://www.jesusinthemargins.com

In Chapter 3, Rick shares some of his testimony of how he came to know, love and follow Jesus. He then points out how Jesus didn't fit into the cultural religious crowd very well. He points out come of Jesus' encounters with religious people.

Encounter 1 - John 2 the Wedding at Cana where Jesus turned water into wine.
"What's stunning to me in all this is that Jesus does a miracle which, if he did it today, would cause the religious community to seriously question his propriety," says Rick. He goes on to say, "Jesus would later be labeled by this same religious community as a glutton and a drunkard, just bcause he hung out with marginalized people. But he was willing to be marginalized by the religious community because he so passionately cared about the average person in great need, the person who isn't always smiling and happy and wearing the best clothes. Jesus came here to love the people in the margins and, ultimately, to transform the religious community that created the barriers that kept the average person from finding God."

Encounter 2 - Jesus calls the tax collector Levi to follow him and Levi throws a party and invites Jesus as well as all his 'sinner' friends. Here's what Rick says, "Not being a real religious guy, he probably doesn't know all the rules - such as, You don't throw huge keggers for rabbis. But Levi did just that. And he invites all his friends to come and meet this incredible man." He adds, "Jesus is a friend to people like that, which prevents him from fitting in with the moral lifestyle of religious people. And so he's marginalized by them. They reject him."

In conclusion Rick says, "One of the mistakes often made by those of us in the margins is we assume that if churchgoers don't like us, then God must not like us."

Ouch! Is that the image that I portray? Am I a pharisee? I already know the answer - YES! But I don't want to be. I want to love people and introduce them to the ONE who can change their life forever - Jesus.

How about you? Do you love people in the margins? Are you in the margins? Let me know.

Beautiful!

God has blessed us beyond our comprehension with these two beautiful and wonderful children.

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warror, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate. Psalm 127 NKJV

Outside Kids

Kyra and David love being outside! They love to play and to explore. Kyra is a bike rider and David can usually be found riding his stick - horse. How about those boots with his shorts. He definitely makes a fashion statement! The first thing David wants to do when he wakes up is put his boots on!

Revelation

http://www.jesusinthemargins.com

Chapter 2
When God chose to reveal Himself to mankind, He did it in the person of Jesus. God revealed Himself in the margins.

Rick says, "Jesus showed up in a rural town called Nazareth. Not much of a place, really. There were probably ten, maybe fifteen thousand people living there, and they were a less-cultivated class - more like blue-collar or hillbilly types, rude and crude."

Not only did He show up in a small town, but his birth was scandalous.

"What's more, he shows up in the womb of an unwed teenage mom." (from the author).

Here's the great part about Jesus in the margins:

Rick McKinley says, "That's where Jesus arrives. And more. He doesn't come to the margins just to rise up out of them, like some against-all-odds Rocky success story. No, he comes to the margins to stay there and live there and work there. That is the focus of his mission."

I love the fact that God reveals Himself to us in Jesus and that Jesus lived among the marginalized. The world is where we get most of our value. The world says if you are to have value you have to be rich, popular and successful. Jesus says that to have value is to be loved by God and to love God in return. Jesus says there is value in relationships. Family, friends, church. That is what is of value.

No one has ever come to the end of their life wishing they had worked more. There have been a lot of people come to the end of their life wishing they had spent more time investing in relationships...

-R

Honesty

http://www.jesusinthemargins.com

I am reading a good book that I would like to discuss. The author Rick McKinley describes what he means by the margins in the first chapter:
"Society - our world, our culture - has margins just like this page does. They're places occupied by people who go unnoticed, misfits who seldom figure in when the mainline world defines and esteems itself. But they're there. The margins are where I find people like me."

Maybe you are a margin dweller. I know that I am. I have never really fit in well into society. I have tried real hard, but mostly I was just playing games.

In this first chapter, Rick shares part of his story of being a Christ-follower and five other people's stories of what they have been through in thier life and what their thoughts on God are. They are very honest.

He then says this:
"The great thing about the margins is the honesty. No one here is still playing games. We're all ready to have an authentic look at life. We desperately want love and acceptance, but we just can't bring ourselves to sacrifice honesty in order to get it."

Why do we play games? I think maybe it is because we think if people really knew us they wouldn't love us. I too am tired of playing games. I am tired of acting like I hve it all together because I don't. What about you?

There is hope, though. There is One who knows us inside and out and He loves us in spite of who we are. His name is Jesus.

If you are a margin dweller, you will want to read this book, I promise it will minster to you. You can leave me a comment and let me know what you think about honesty and Christian Community. If we are going to be the people of Jesus, we have got to be honest with one another.

-R

Christian Community

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also alove one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; the they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17:20-21

Have you ever wanted someone to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ? Have you ever tried to convince someone that the Bible is true? I do this a lot. I find it to be something that is very hard and frustrating. But as I meditate on these two passages of scripture I find that Jesus tells us that we cannot explain the gospel outside of Christian Community. I just finished a book by Leslie Newbigin entitled The Gospel in Pluralist Society. In it he points out that the Christian church exists in a society that is pluralist - there are many differing beliefs. He makes two great points in this book:
1. "The only effective hermeneutic of the gospel is the life of the congregation which believes it."
(Hermeneutics is the art or science of interpretation)
2. "Jesus did not write a book but formed a community"

Jesus never intended for us to simply explain the gospel and convince someone to believe it. He intends for us to 'live' the gospel. As we live in a community with other believers who love each other and are one in spirit with one another and with God our Father and Jesus the Savior of the world, people will see that we believe the gospel because we live the gospel. It is amazing to see what happens when a person is drawn into a loving community of faith and hope and they begin to be infected with the virus called Jesus. (From an old Russian proverb.)

Some thoughts -
1. Do you believe the gospel?
2. Are you a part of a believing community? (Not just a church-goer, but intimately connected to the life of the ekklesia?)
3. Do you live the gospel in your place of work, your home, among your friends?

-R

Dads, Moms, and a Loving Heavenly Father

Sometimes people ask me if I have a hobby. A lot of people enjoy playing golf, roping or hunting. I never have been much into sports and I tried roping years ago. I stink at golf and every time I get on a golf course, I think of all the things I could be doing if I wasn't there! For me, getting to go and help my Dad work cows is one of my hobbies. I love to spend time with my parents and to brand, wean, sort, move...whatever he happens to be doing on the ranch. I really feel sorry for people that don't have a good relationship with their parents. I am truly blessed with a mom and dad that love me and my sister and our families. My dad is one of my very best friends and we enjoy being together. In Ephesians, we see three earthly relationships that reflect the spiritual realtisnship that we have with God. The first is found in 5:22-33 and that is marriage. The relationship of Christ and His church is reflected to us in the earthly relationship of a husband and his wife. The second is found in 6:1-4 and that is the relationship of children and parents. God is our Father. If we have earthly parents that love us train us and show us grace, it will be easy for us to understand that God is a loving Heavenly Father. THe third realtionship is in 6:5-9 and is the relationship between masters and slaves. Today, I think we can best see this in employers and employees. Employers reflect the image of God to their employees as they treat them fairly. Employees are to work as if they were doing their work for the Lord and not for men.

My Dad and Mom have a great marriage and they model what a husband loving his wife as Christ loved the church is like. They are both loving parents and it is easy for me and Kacey to understand what a loving Heavenly Father is like. One of the reasons that I love working for my Dad is that he is always fair with those who work for him. It is also a worship experience, because we are working cows for God and not for men. God is the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and we are all in service for Him.

One person's graffiti is another's masterpiece

Spring is here! We are excited to get to spend more time outside with our friends playing in the tree-house and decorating with sidewalk calk. We are also hauling enormous amounts of sand in our dump truck. Baseball is our newest passion. Kyra is getting where she can hit a ball tossed to her about 1 out of 5 times. (That's a lot better than her dad!)

With children comes joy. Jesus says that we must become like little children and children love to play. Playing is such an important aspect of being a child. If these kids had their way, they would stay outside from sunrise to sunset. We are thinking of asking for a city ordinance to block off our street so that no cars can come in front of our block! Never mind that we have an entire block vacant behind our house. It takes a lot of room to play!

Have a great spring and enJOY the Lord with your family.

-R