Quick Thoughts

Quick Thought:

"It is amazing what you can learn when you take the time to read."

My Buddy Jacob

A friend of mine, Will Hall, has written an article for Baptist Press this week. Will works as the executive editor of the publication. He is also one of the elders at my church, and has taught several Sunday School classes over the years on theology and church history. His wife Catherine is one of the most incredible women you would ever meet. In addition to all the work she does with our children's and women's ministries, as well as the graphic design for our church's website, she also lends her soprano voice to our choir and praise team. Will and Catherine have two children, Nathan and Jacob. Jacob is my little buddy. He also has Down's Syndrome.

Here is a pic of Jacob singing "More Precious Than Silver" with our worship pastor one week after major heart surgery about two years ago.

Mr. Hall has written an article here about Jacob. I hope you'll check it out. Jacob truly has a heart for God. His parents have brought him up in a Godly home, and have utilized all the ways that Jacob learns to teach him about the grace and mercy of God.

Just last Sunday, I helped to take up the offering at the end of the service, and I was in the back of the sanctuary when I saw an empty seat beside Will and Jacob. Jacob waved, so I sat down. Within a matter of nanoseconds, Jacob was in my lap. He alternatively touched his middle fingers to the palms of his hands, the sign-language motion for "Jesus" indicating to me that he loved Jesus, and asking if I did, too. I acknowledged "yes" with a "thumbs-up." He readjusted himself in my lap so he could touch my face. He used both palms to trace my face from my ears to my chin. His father wasn't sure what that sign meant, but I believe it means "you look nice" or pretty/handsome. (I've seen him use it on one of the little girls in his Sunday School class.)

If you'll notice in the article, in 1997, the year Jacob was born, 91-93% of children prenatally diagnosed with Down's Syndrome were aborted. That's between 39,000 and 50,000 children! And that doesn't include other children with other disabilites, or with no disability at all!!!!

Tomorrow, Southern Baptists will recognize "Sanctity of Life Sunday."

Frankly, I am disgusted at the very fact of having to address such a topic. That such a practice is tolerated in our society, much less celebrated and protected as a "mother's right" both saddens and sickens me.

Will Hall gives us a unique prespective on the topic of abortion. As Will admits in his article, it's not as though raising Jacob has been easy. I babysat Jacob one night a few summers ago. Jacob likes watching the Disney Channel, jumping on the trampoline, playing ball (baseball and basketball), riding his three-wheeler, and playing with his action-figures (especially his Woody doll from Toy Story). But one of the most beautiful moments of the evening came when he was playing in his room. He has a stuffed bear that plays "Amazing Grace." He was singing it. I mean I could understand every word he said! I concluded that it must have been a song he had heard literally his entire life.

I know there are many things Jacob doesn't understand. He probably doesn't understand how much of a miracle it is just for him to be alive. He also doesn't know how much of a positive impact he has had on his family by teaching then to rely of Christ. The ammount of mercy, trust and faith that have been provided to Jacob's family as they watch him grow is immense!

But there are some things Jacob DOES know. He knows how to make people smile...and cry. He knows how to say some bible verses and sing some praise songs. He knows that his family loves him. He knows his friends and teachers love him. And more importantly, he knows Jesus loves him. If you don't believe me, just ask him. He will show you.

Announcing the latest 4H Winners!

Hey all!

We have several new 4H winners in our families (btw - our children turned in their posters this week for the annual 4H contest that Spencer won last year... no pressure Spencer but you have ALOT to live up to. He certainly has a chance too... his poster this year is great!).


Here are the competitors for the speech contest:

Here are their videos (please forgive the low quality - low budget format of the videos - our photographer was suffering from nervosa-maternalitus):

Hannah - "Our Big and Unique Family"



Spencer - "To Fear or Not to Fear?"



Geneva - "The Best Gifts Come in Small Packages"



I have really enjoyed the passion that my children showed for this challenge. They developed their own thoughts, created their own outline, and wrote the text by themselves (there was little, if any, parental redaction!) All of them purposed to "throw the Word" in their speech. They wanted to bear witness before their friends of God's grace in their family!

We are so thankful for the Spirit's work in their lives!

Update on Dr. Mohler

Here is the email that I received from The President's Office of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary today:

Dear Friends of Southern Seminary:

I am very pleased to share with you that a short while ago Dr. Albert
Mohler was discharged from Baptist East Hospital in Louisville, KY.
After a two week hospitalization that included extensive abdominal
surgery and a four day stay in the Intensive Care Unit due to
pulmonary emboli in the lungs, he and the family are overjoyed to be
home. This, indeed, is welcome news and a much anticipated milestone
in Dr. Mohler's recovery.

Please now pray that Dr. Mohler will gain the rest and strength he
needs while recuperating at home in the days ahead. As you may guess,
he is eager to resume the full rigor of his Presidential and
ministerial duties.

The Mohlers are deeply grateful for the many prayers that have been
offered and the expressions of concern so many of you have shown over
these past couple of weeks. On behalf of the Mohler family, thank you
once again for the Christian love and support you have shown them.

Jason K. Allen
Executive Assistant to the President
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
2825 Lexington Rd.
Louisville, KY 40280
502) 897 4121
jallen@sbts.edu

Praise the Lord! I can hardly imagine him returning to "the full rigors of his presidential and ministerial duties" anytime soon - although to call his activities rigorous must be very close to the truth! Have you heard what a day in the life of Dr. Mohler looks like? Kevin... could you give us an idea of his daily schedule?

Like Arrows in the Hands of a..... Part 2

WWHHHOOOOPPPPPPPEEEEEEEE!


I shot that 72" self-bow I was writing about on Thursday (it is the big unfinished one on top of the one I wrote about last week) and it was SWEET! The cool part about it is that not only did I make the bow (72" red oak flat bow that draws around 50lbs) but I also made the bowstring!! It is what is called an endless string and my fingers are still sore from all of the wrapping.



I made it out of the small hemp string that my oldest daughter makes her necklaces and beadwork with.

I also began to make a fleming bowstring but havent quite figured that out.

Take a look at this string!


I promised Kevin that I would make a list of the process of bowmaking (Kevin was your friend's name Kyle? Kyle if you want anymore info just email me: pastorsteve@throwtheword.com).


Here is a photo of the steps of the bowmaking process. from right to left you can see a board, a couple of prepared staves, a couple of roughed out staves, and the finished bow. (The finished bow -first on the left - is the first one I blogged about. The wide limbed longbow -third from the left - is the new one I shot today and the thin limbed longbow - second from the right - is the one I destroyed on Thursday evening.)

For starters you need to find the perfect tree, cut it down and split it out into quarters or go to lowes and find the perfect board. Spencer and I have looked through literally hundreds of 1x?'s to find the three boards that we currently have in our possession so be patient. (Grain is what one looks at when choosing the right

I am certainly not the only one enjoying this process. Look at these wonderful archers-in-the-making!


If you are interested in reading about the process then here is an online list:
www.stickbow.com/features/selfbows/beginnings.cfm
groups.msn.com/ferretsarcherywebpage
www.murraygaskins.com/abw.html
www.osagebow.com
www.primitivearcher.com

I hope that you enjoy getting your hands dirty as much as I have! I will certainly be giving you updates as soon as they happen!

Winter Breaks, Christmas Gifts, and the Man of the Year

There is one thing I love about Winter break, the time in between semesters where I have the opportunity to forget everything I have learned about Languages, theology, and other "Seminary Things." Okay, that's not entirely true; if I forgot about most of that I would cease to be the person that I am. However, I do love the opportunity to broaden my horizons during the break, reading and studying things I don't get the chance to read, interact with, and participate in during the semester.

This week I have been reading a book written by an author who has very quickly become one of my favorites. This author has recently earned the prestigious award , the EFM Man of the Year, which was thoughtfully chosen by a very thoughtful kind of guy. The writer is Wendell Berry, a farmer in Eastern Kentucky, who writes with a lot of intelligence, style, and care. He is a great proponent of communities, care of God's creation, and putting real life above the slavery to technology and consumerism that is everywhere in our culture. I dare say that there is no better person for you to be reading right now.

Here's a quote from the book I'm reading at the moment, What Are People For?:

Much protest is naive; it expects quick, visible improvement and despairs and gives up when such improvement does not come. Protesters who hold out longer have perhaps understood that success is not the proper goal. If protest depended on success, there would be little protest of and durability or significance. History simply affords too little evidence that anyone's individual protest is of any use. Protest that endures, I think, is moved by a hope far more modest than that of public success: namely, the hope of preserving qualities in one's own heart and spirit that would be destroyed by acquiescence.

As Christians, I think we can understand this sentiment very well, or at least we should. Our hope in bringing about change, and our methods of standing against culture must begin by "preserving qualities in one's own heart and spirit that would be destroyed by acquiescence."
Berry's writing is 'chock-full' of a real kind of wisdom that comes from living the kind of life he has chosen to live, one that stands against what American culture is all about.

What's more, I found a great quote from him on fishing but I'll save that for another day.

Go read Wendell Berry.

Like Arrows in the Hands of a.....

Well "mighty warrior" might be a little far-fetched but will you look at this:

This is my very first functioning self-BOW!!! It is made of red oak. It draws over 45 lbs and shoots like a dream!

Even though I have been unemployed I haven't been off of work! I have several more that are in various stages of construction.

The first thing the owner of our town's outdoor store said to me yesterday when I showed it to him was: "how much would you take for it"? He agreed to sell them for me so I am working to build up a reserve for next year's hunt!!

Kevin/Jason... cool huh?

CannonBALL!!!!

I think you might enjoy this!

Where have I been?

Whew!! I am so sorry that I have been so negligent to this site.

I am definitely not giving up on it. I am simply trying to find some work to put food on our family's table! God has been so very gracious to us at this time in our lives. He has really taken up the slack that the circumstances at our former church put us in. Numerous friends, former members, and fellow churches have been so very generous to our family during this holiday time and we are more than thankful for the Spirit's work through them! (Thanks to all of you who have joined with us during this painful time!)

As you might know (or maybe not) I am unemployed and currently looking for a job. Amy (my wife) and I are rethinking my vocational interests. It seems as though I am not cut out for traditional pastoring. The last two churches that I have been involved with were self-proclaimed "traditional" Southern Baptist congregations that have developed into elder-ruled (by elder I am not speaking of the Biblical definition of elder - rather I mean "elder" as in those members who have been members longer than most and by virtue of their age are "elder") and personal preference-driven groups of people whose Christianity seems more cultural than Scriptural. Apparently the simple reading, preaching, and teaching of the Gospel doesn't fit well with "the way we've always done things"!

For the last 9 months our family has been involved with a wonderful group of families in Chattanooga. We are working to plant a church there and hope to see this work bring some measure of direction to our lives and finances in the near future.

Another direction that we see the Lord taking us in is our writing. I am preparing the manuscript for The Southern Baptist Primer as well as several articles that I will put in the mail this week. The destination of these articles is over 20 periodicals of varying interests. Hopefully Amy and I will be able to develop into authors of some kind so that we will be able to further the ministry and message of the Gospel in our families.

Pray for us and forgive me for my lack of participation this past month or so. I have several posts in the works and look forward to sharing God's provision with you in the near future.