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  • June23rd

    GranddadCasey’s granddad passed away this week. Some of you may remember the post that I wrote about him last year. We got to see him a few days before he died, and we are so glad that we made the trip.

    I’m reminded of John Donne’s Holy Sonnet X:

    Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
    Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;
    For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
    Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
    From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
    Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
    And soonest our best men with thee do go,
    Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
    Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
    And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
    And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
    And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?
    One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
    And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

    -John Donne, 1633

    As our nephew said, “Don’t be sad Mommy; Granddad is in heaven.”

    “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’” Revelation 21:3-4

  • June19th

    Who’s in Control?

    Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Spiritual

    Mary Beth and I have been praying about and discussing the issue of birth control a lot lately. I’m ashamed to admit that we’ve been married for five years and this is the first time that we’ve really spent much time on this issue. I don’t know why we didn’t have these conversations before we got married except that birth control has really become a non-issue in our fellowship. In fact, neither of us can remember ever hearing anyone talk about the biblical arguments for or against birth control and we both went to a Christian college. But, over the last few years, we have been reading Touchstone Magazine, which we highly recommend by the way, and this is a subject that they write about frequently.

    The article “Children of the Reformation” appeared in a recent issue of the magazine and has really given us more to think about. I didn’t realize that Protestant churches only began accepting birth control within the last 75 years or so. After reading the article, we are beginning to fear that pro-abortion arguments are not a far jump from pro-birth control arguments.

    Mary Beth and I are serious about seeking the heart of God on this issue. We are desperate for input from any and all followers of Christ. If you are single or married, if you’ve commented before or if this is your first time, please read the linked article and share your thoughts on this issue with us. We are seeking biblical arguments for or against birth control. Here are some questions we are seeking to answer:

    1. Why do we not discuss this issue in our churches?
    2. Are Christians using birth control because we are seeking to control this huge part of our lives and we are afraid to allow God full reign?
    3. Does the story of Onan in Genesis 38 apply or not? We’ve heard arguments that Onan’s story is really about his heart, but how are our hearts different when we use birth control?
    4. How has the use of birth control changed our lives, besides reducing the number of children we have?
    5. Is there a difference between using a contraceptive and “natural family planning“? If birth control is wrong, does that include “natural family planning“?
    6. Are we really pro-life in all areas of our life? Are children a reward from God always, or only when they are convenient to us?

    Again, we are still seeking answers to this issue, it is not our wish to offend or judge anyone. Please share with us your views. We realize that reading this article could be slightly time consuming, but we feel that this issue is worth the time. Thanks.

    UPDATE

    Mary Beth and I have found these radio broadcasts by Family Life very helpful in gaining a deeper understanding of this issue…

  • June14th

    The Divine Conspiracy

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Literature, Spiritual

    divineconspiracy1.jpgFor Christmas, my dad gave me a copy of The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. He had been telling me about it for months, so I was anxious to read it. I finally finished it last week. I want to recommend it to anyone who is serious about becoming a disciple of Christ. It is such a rich and inspiring read that I will be digesting it for months. It is certainly one of those books that can be read over and over again.
    It has given me so much to think about and has encouraged me to examine my life for ways that I have strayed from following Jesus. I want to be sure that I am committing every part of my life to Christ. As Willard states, “I am learning from Jesus to live my life as he would live my life if he were I” (283). Wow! That could take a lifetime.

  • June5th

    They’re Married!

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Home Life & Family

    allans-wedding-blog.pngAllan and Lindsay were married Saturday, June 2. The wedding was beautiful, and we were all glad to be a part of such a wonderful day. I know that God will bless many people through Allan and Lindsay because they are both eager to serve Him. We are so excited about sharing the rest of our lives with them, and Caleb is very happy that Lindsay is officially his aunt now.

    Congratulations, Allan and Lindsay! We love you!

    See more wedding pictures . . .