Look to the Sky

Lydia Loves to Color

2011-12-17T17:04:00.001-06:00

Nearer My God to Thee (for 9 cellos)

2011-11-29T19:57:00.001-06:00

via youtube.com

Girls Picked Their Own Shirts Today

2011-11-29T12:23:00.001-06:00

If it wasn't for her...

2011-11-10T20:57:00.001-06:00

...I'd never play another game of pick-up-sticks again!

Precious

2011-11-10T19:31:00.001-06:00

Chloe wasn't feeling well earlier tonight. She crashed on the couch before dinner. When I bent down to see if she wanted to eat, I noticed Sam's walkie-talkie. He said, "just in case she needs anything."

Grandpa's 92nd

2011-10-26T17:07:00.001-05:00

Having a Bit of Dad Time

2011-10-25T22:02:00.001-05:00

Entirely Infallible Message

2011-10-15T22:08:00.001-05:00

Only one like this I've ever heard. You?

via LloydJones Wordpress

Cousins

2011-10-15T21:19:00.001-05:00

We've had some bonus cousin time the past two weekends!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Guess Who Was Up Early Reading Today

2011-10-11T23:34:00.001-05:00

Making Play Jewelry with A Princess

2011-10-09T21:56:00.001-05:00

Every Princess Needs a Crown

2011-10-04T14:44:00.001-05:00

Looking for a Girl One

2011-09-17T23:25:00.001-05:00

Me: Lydia, what are you doing?

L: Looking at my money.

Me: Why?

L: I am looking for a girl one.

Eventually she did find a Canadian coin that did in fact have a girl on it!

Pictures from our Quick Trip to WI Last Weekend

2011-09-16T12:58:00.001-05:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Just Won Sorry! For the First Time

2011-09-15T20:50:00.001-05:00

VERY Early Morning Drive to Watch Grant's Game

2011-09-10T17:40:00.001-05:00

Lots of fun!!!

LOOK OUT! Grandpa's Driving!

2011-09-04T23:57:00.001-05:00

Braid Mug Shot

2011-09-04T08:15:00.001-05:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Guess Who Is Going for a Sleepover

2011-09-01T09:25:00.001-05:00

Thanks Auntie Jill!

Classic Game of Pick up Sticks

2011-08-30T20:20:00.001-05:00

God Leads Us Along - May Leporacci with Greg Howlett

2011-08-27T23:19:00.001-05:00

via youtube.com

Evolution? I think...NOT!

2011-08-23T20:13:00.001-05:00

via youtube.com

Impish, Mischievous, or Just Plain Trouble?

2011-08-22T08:15:00.001-05:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Tired Readers

2011-08-16T23:19:00.001-05:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Door to Door with VBS Invites

2011-08-11T19:45:00.001-05:00

‪Steven Curtis Chapman - Do Everything

2011-08-09T07:24:00.001-05:00

via youtube.com

Dryer Watch

2011-08-06T11:27:00.001-05:00

It's similar to watching grass grow...not unlike watching paint dry. We call this watching the dryer dry!

EYE-uh-wuh

2011-08-05T23:34:00.001-05:00

We found this at Enosh Bible Camp in Topeka.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sam's 6 Foot Marble Contraption

2011-07-23T10:21:00.001-05:00

He talks a lot about the weather, but perhaps engineering is a better goal?

See the full gallery on Posterous

Uno Color Wheel

2011-07-22T21:31:00.001-05:00

A Night at the Ballgame

2011-07-21T08:17:00.001-05:00

A Night at the Ballgame

2011-07-20T23:52:00.001-05:00

Fun with Grandpa and Grandma

2011-07-17T23:10:00.001-05:00

While we were at Enosh Bible Camp in Topeka, Chloe and Lydia enjoyed time with my parents! This is just a sampling of the fun time they enjoyed.

Camp Enosh

2011-07-11T08:33:00.001-05:00

Lois, Samuel, and I are in Topeka,KS this week serving with the saints at Camp Enosh.

One for the Week

2011-07-09T11:49:00.001-05:00

Fruit Inspectors

2011-07-04T10:32:00.001-05:00

Peter Mead answers the tricky question of how to evaluate a profession in Christ:

It may be politically incorrect to be fruit inspectors, but surely we need a pastoral sensitivity with those around us in the church. To neglect this matter has significant temporal consequences for the church, and eternal consequences for some!

Full post is at Cordeo

Found on the Fridge

2011-07-03T07:36:00.001-05:00

Chloe's handiwork.

Happy Birthday, Chloe

2011-06-26T08:20:00.001-05:00

Good to be Home

2011-06-25T16:58:00.001-05:00

Ahh...camplife...the Land of Neglect

2011-06-24T21:50:00.001-05:00

Here is where we found Lydia tonight. Poor child... :)

Sunset on the Lake

2011-06-24T20:23:00.001-05:00

Last campfire for Teen Camp 2011 (sniff)

Crashed!

2011-06-23T19:53:00.001-05:00

This is where we found her. Camp life is taking its toll!

Last 2 Lines Probably Not Necessary

2011-06-21T17:14:00.001-05:00

Camp Life is Tiring!

2011-06-16T09:26:00.001-05:00

4th Street Burger

2011-06-09T13:19:00.001-05:00

A Sooner Bible Camp Thursday Lunch Tradition!

Cousins

2011-06-04T17:01:00.001-05:00

Moriah!

2011-06-04T12:40:00.001-05:00

On the Road to WI!

2011-06-04T12:19:00.003-05:00

Automatic Pancake Maker

2011-06-04T12:19:00.001-05:00

Who knew?

Psalm 10

2011-05-25T23:05:00.001-05:00

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, "You will not call to account"? But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.

-Psalm 10:12-14

Psalm 9 Drawing

2011-05-16T21:13:00.001-05:00

For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.

-Psalm 9:4, 7-8

God Trusts Me with These Two?

2011-05-14T11:34:00.001-05:00

...only a God of grace and mercy could do that.

15

2011-05-10T17:19:00.001-05:00

I know I don't need to--but I'd ask you every day!

The Silence of God - Andrew Peterson

2011-05-09T22:13:00.001-05:00

via thegospelcoalition.org

Psalm 8

2011-05-09T21:01:00.001-05:00

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

- Psalm 8:3-4

Abusing Matthew 18

2011-05-09T13:24:00.001-05:00

Genuine heresy is a damnable thing, a horrible thing. It dishonors God and leads people astray. It misrepresents the gospel and entices people to believe untrue things and to act in reprehensible ways.

- D.A. Carson, Editorial on Abusing Matthew 18

Knowing vs. Tasting the Vinegar

2011-05-09T09:53:00.001-05:00

Oh, brethren! conviction of sin is no slight natural work upon the heart. There is a great difference between knowing that vinegar is sour, and actually tasting and feeling that it is sour. There is a great difference between knowing that fire will burn us, and actually feeling the pain of being burned. Just in the same way, there is all the difference in the world between knowing the dreadfulness of your sins and feeling the dreadfulness of your sins. It is all in vain that you read your Bibles and hear us preach, unless the Spirit use the words to give sense and feeling to your dead hearts. The plainest words will not awaken you as long as you are in a natural condition. If we could prove to you, with the plainness of arithmetic, that the wrath of God is abiding on you and your children, still you would sit unmoved—you would go away and forget it before you reached your own door. Ah, brethren! He that made your heart can alone impress your heart. It is the Spirit that convinceth of sin.

- Robert Murray M'Cheyne, The Conviction of Sin

Commendation

2011-05-09T00:38:00.001-05:00

Tonight at the chapel we enjoyed a special evening commending my cousin Rachel to the Lord's work in Brazil.

[The picture of Lydia at the table all by herself kind of cracks me up--especially given her "social" personality!]

See the full gallery on Posterous

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T12:03:00.001-05:00

One more reason why moms are SO important!

[These are the shoes Lydia is wearing today. As you might guess, dad said, "white shoes" this morning, but didn't double check the selection.]

Could I Be Called a Christian

2011-05-06T09:21:00.001-05:00

Could I be called a Christian if everybody knew

The secret thoughts and feelings of everything I do

Would they see the likeness of Christ in me each day

Could they hear Him speaking in every word I say

Could I be called a Christian if my faith I did not show

If I did not go to places where the Lord would have me go

If I do not love His truth, if I do not guard His trust

If I cherish more than Jesus, my greatest hidden lust

To be all He's commanded

To do all that He said

To be His true disciple

And place no confidence in the flesh

To glory in Christ Jesus

It's He who justifies

O, to find your life you must lose it

To live you first must die

Let every man examine his own life

Could I be called a Christian

Could I be called a Christian and believe not His holy word

If I take Him as my Savior and then refuse Him as my Lord

If I could not love the outcast and am not burdened for the lost

If I fail to deny myself and each day take up my cross

- Steve Camp

Scribbling Darkness on the Wall

2011-05-06T08:03:00.001-05:00

A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling ‘darkness’ on the wall of his cell.

- C.S. Lewis (HT @Challies)

Lydia's Drawing for Psalm 7

2011-05-05T15:46:00.001-05:00

He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.

- Psalm 7:15-16

Lydia's Drawing for Psalm 6

2011-05-04T17:08:00.001-05:00

I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
- Psalm 6:6

First Trip to the Dentist for #3

2011-05-03T21:55:00.001-05:00

The Royal Wedding Nap

2011-04-29T08:40:00.001-05:00

Reading a Dora Book

2011-04-28T20:25:00.001-05:00

She just told me she wants to be a princess when she grows up!

Lunch with Family and Friends

2011-04-24T12:32:00.001-05:00

Hallelujah! Christ Arose!

2011-04-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior,

Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,

He arose a Victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my Savior;

Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!

Death cannot keep its Prey, Jesus my Savior;

He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

The Ivory Palaces

2011-04-23T21:28:00.001-05:00

My Lord has garments so wondrous fine,

And myrrh their texture fills;

Its fragrance reached to this heart of mine

With joy my being thrills.

Out of the ivory palaces,

Into a world of woe,

Only His great eternal love

Made my Savior go.

His life had also its sorrows sore,

For aloes had a part;

And when I think of the cross He bore,

My eyes with teardrops start.

His garments too were in cassia dipped,

With healing in a touch;

Each time my feet in some sin have slipped,

He took me from its clutch.

In garments glorious He will come,

To open wide the door;

And I shall enter my heav’nly home,

To dwell forevermore.

Worst. Day. Ever.

2011-04-23T20:43:00.001-05:00

The events of Thursday night and Friday must have been a surreal nightmare, a madman's collage. With "the triumphal entry" still in their minds, the apostles had suddenly seen everything turned on its head, beyond their darkest imaginations. They must have fallen asleep — assuming they fell asleep, since that was about all they were good at — with numbed hearts and bedazzled minds.

But then Saturday dawned. Reality hit. It had really happened. They were now waking up, for the first time in three years, with no Jesus. That meant no Messiah, no Lord. No hope, no guide; no one who really knew what He was doing. No point to doing what they had all left their jobs and their lives to do.

And nothing had changed overnight. He died Friday. He was still dead, Saturday.

Horrible, throbbing reality settling down on their chests like a massive elephant. What now? Dear God in Heaven, what now? What do we do? What do we say? What do we tell the crowds? What do we tell our families? Do we go back with our tail between our legs, and beg for our jobs back? And what, what do we make of the world now, now that we had repented because the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand... and yet it seems more distant than ever?

- Dan Phillips via Pyromaniacs

Believe

2011-04-22T22:51:00.001-05:00

via youtube.com

Bearing Them for Christ, The Chief Shepherd

2011-04-22T06:49:00.001-05:00

When Jesus called a group of unremarkable individuals to serve with him, he sent them out as spiritual shepherds to "the lost sheep of Israel." This mission defined their ministry as an extension of his pastoral service to those who were sick and in bondage. Their work was a reflection of the concerns of the Good Shepherd who gave his life for the flock. Every disciple was a shepherd called to the messy work of caring for people, of shouldering their various needs, and bearing them for Christ, the Chief Shepherd.

- Timothy S. Laniak, While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks

Lydia's Drawing for Psalm 5

2011-04-21T23:15:00.001-05:00

O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.

- Psalm 5:3, 8

With All the Energy of His Holy Soul

2011-04-21T21:52:00.001-05:00

We cannot fail to see in reading the Gospels that the Lord Jesus with all the energy of His holy soul spoke of the eternity of future punishment for the lost. It was this that brought Him from heaven, that led Him to plead with men, that made Him agonize for souls. It was this that led Him to the cross to open a way for men to escape the wrath of God. It is fitting, but most solemn, that nowhere in the entire word of God is the teaching as to future punishment so clear as in the Gospels, and from the lips of Him who said: "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

- Ridout, The Four Gospels

The Margin of a Shoreless and Fathomless Sea

2011-04-21T21:32:00.001-05:00

We stand here on the margin of a shoreless and fathomless sea; and for my part I venture to think that the men who talk about the incredibilities and the contradictions of the orthodox faith would show themselves a little wiser if they were more conscious of the limitation of human faculty, and remembered that to pronounce upon contradictions in the doctrine of the divine Nature implies that the pronouncer stands above and goes around about the whole of that nature. So, for my part, abjuring omniscience and the comprehension of Deity, I accept the statement that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit come together and dwell in the heart.

- Alexander Maclaren

Up Early to Play with "Pollies"

2011-04-18T19:32:00.001-05:00

Cousins

2011-04-17T20:06:00.001-05:00

Sam's First Caribou Coffee

2011-04-16T12:14:00.001-05:00

I'm so proud...I think.

Lydia's Drawing for Psalm 4

2011-04-11T23:09:00.001-05:00

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

- Psalm 4:8

[This is a drawing of Chloe and Lydia in their bunkbed...accurate to the exact color of pajamas. Note that Chloe was wearing polka dotted pajamas...but that's apparently tough for the 4 year old mind to visualize!]

Another Tooth Out

2011-04-09T20:07:00.001-05:00

Most hockey players have more teeth now!

The Flooded Red River

2011-04-09T18:29:00.001-05:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Chloe and I were at my grandparents this afternoon assisting with some paperwork. On the way home we drove over the Main Avenue bridge and decided to take a closer look at the mighty Red River of the North. The picture does not do it justice...THERE IS A LOT OF WATER MOVING THROUGH TOWN!

A Rebuke Goes Deeper ((tag: Words of Life)

2011-04-05T07:26:00.001-05:00

A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.

- Proverbs 17:10 http://esv.to/Pr17.10

Lydia's Drawing for Psalm 3

2011-04-04T22:28:00.001-05:00

I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

- Psalm 3:5

What We're Doing Now: Lunch with Friends

2011-03-27T12:31:00.001-05:00

Favorite.Love.Song.Ever

2011-03-18T21:22:00.001-05:00

Puzzle Pyramid

2011-03-16T08:42:00.001-05:00

Lydia's Drawing for Psalm 1

2011-03-14T22:56:00.001-05:00

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

- Psalm 1:3

He Gladly Surrenders Himself

2011-03-11T22:50:00.001-06:00

I cannot conceive it possible for anyone truly to receive Christ as Savior and yet not to receive him as Lord. A man who is really saved by grace does not need to be told that he is under solemn obligations to serve Christ. The new life within him tells him that. Instead of regarding it as a burden, he gladly surrenders himself – body, soul, and spirit- to the Lord who has redeemed him, reckoning this to be his reasonable service.

- Spurgeon via Truth Matters

What We're Doing Now: ???

2011-03-10T21:13:00.001-06:00

Christians Need Clarity - Tim Challies Reviews Rob Bell's "Love Wins"

2011-03-09T22:24:00.001-06:00

Christians do not need more confusion. They need clarity. They need teachers who are willing to deal honestly with what the Bible says, no matter how hard that truth is. And let’s be honest—many truths are very, very hard to swallow.

- Tim Challies...read the full review

What we're Doing Now: After Funeral Dinner with Friends

2011-03-07T18:25:00.001-06:00

What We're Doing Now: Driving through Iowa

2011-03-05T20:44:00.001-06:00

God Is the Strength of My Heart

2011-02-24T10:51:00.001-06:00

Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

- Psalm 73:23-26

Biblical Christianity: Monday music: Trevor Gordon Hall, Experimental Acoustic Guitar

2011-02-22T22:11:00.001-06:00

via bibchr.blogspot.com

Dancing in the Minefields - Andrew Peterson

2011-02-22T20:36:00.001-06:00

via youtube.com

What we're doing now: Lydia's Birthday Party

2011-02-15T15:33:00.001-06:00

Love

2011-02-14T15:27:00.001-06:00

The Cloudless Day Is Nearing

2011-02-01T21:59:00.001-06:00

The Cloudless Day is Nearing

The cloudless day is nearing, When Thou, O Lord, wilt come,

Thy radiant beauty wearing, To take Thy people home!

Bring hosts on hosts around Thee Shall catch Thy living rays,

And all who once have found Thee Breathe out new songs of praise.

But how shall I then know Thee Amid those hosts above?

What tokens true will show me The object of my love?

Thy glories, all excelling, In pure effulgence shine;

But glory in Thee dwelling Well Ne'er proclaim Thee mine.

Thy wounds, Thy wounds, Lord Jesus, Those deep, deep wounds will tell

The sacrifice that frees us From self, and death, and hell!

These link Thee once forever With all who own Thy grace;

No hand these bonds can sever, No hands these scars efface.

O Jesus! Lord most blessed, Thou Lamb of God divine,

Thou standest forth confessed, I wond'ring, claim Thee

I worship and adore Thee, Transported with Thy love;

Prostrate myself before Thee, and dwell in light above.

The Tenderest Revelation Of His Perfect Love

2011-01-31T23:32:00.001-06:00

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

so must the Son of Man be lifted up, John 3:14 (ESV)

'The Son of Man must be lifted up.' And what does that mean? It means the same thing that He said when, near the end, He declared, "the hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified." We are accustomed to speak--and we speak rightly--of His death as being the lowest point of the humiliation which was inherent in the very fact of His humanity. He condescended to be born; he stooped yet more to die. But whilst that is true, the other side is also true--that in the cross Christ is lifted up, and that it is His throne. For what see we there? The highest exhibition, the tenderest revelation, of His perfect love. And what see we there besides? The supreme manifestation of the highest power.

- Alexander MacLaren

The Next Time I Get Married

2011-01-30T22:04:00.001-06:00

Lois, Dad and I heard this song on the radio while driving to the Story Book Lodge board meeting. Enjoy!!