Is Silence Golden?

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Joe

Hello everyone!

For those that have still managed to stick around here since June, I’m still here.

It’s been one of those really busy and difficult summers for my family and I. I’m sure there are bloggers out there that can also attest to how easy it is to stop blogging all together if you get out of rhythm and focus.

My tent-making trade has been keeping me very busy the past few months. It’s been a “perfect storm” between that, being back working from home-full time, and my young son enjoying having his daddy so available for the first time in a year.

To summarize, I’ve found myself too busy and exhausted to write, to read, to study, and to think. Poor excuses, I know, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

On top of all that, this year has found us in jeopardy of losing our home. It’s a story I had planned to share–and I may still do that–but we’re not quite out of the woods yet. God has watched over us and it would appear that He is bringing us to a safe harbor but there are still a few dangerous reefs He needs to help us navigate through.

In happier news, I managed to save up enough money to upgrade my aging Mac PowerBook G4 laptop to the latest 21″ iMac in July. For the first time, I realize that I have all the tools I need now to do more creative things. My good friend Jack has been encouraging me to start video blogging or just getting into YouTube. One look at his YouTube pages and you’ll see why.

So I may change up May He Increase to a video platform. I just don’t know yet.

How was your summer? Anything new and exciting happening? What have I been missing out on?

May He Increase!

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Why Do We Live for the Red Zone?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Joe

I ran across this simple, but brilliant YouTube of Francis Chan.

Such a basic illustration but it goes hand-in-hand with the Radical series. I have to admit, it made me question my outlook on my life right now.

May He Increase!

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For My Stepson On His Graduation Day

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Joe

Today, my 17 year old stepson graduates from high school.

It’s an achievement. It’s been a long road for all of us. There were times when we wondered if we’d see this day arrive the way it has, but we give all glory to God for what He has brought him through.

First I wanted to express my admiration and gratitude to my wife who, two years ago, took the huge responsibility of home-schooling my stepson for his last two years of high school. When we first started looking into the various options, I have to admit that I couldn’t understand how she was going to do it. It wasn’t so much a reflection upon her teaching abilities it was my own lack of how home-schooling worked. I’m married to a courageous and strong woman. She took this responsibility upon her shoulders and plunged into it.

But today it’s about my stepson, Jori. I wanted to take this post to share some thoughts on this momentous occasion in his life.

If I Could . . .

There’s a great song by Carl Anderson called “If I Could.” It’s a song from a father’s perspective about how he wishes he could shield his child from life’s travails and teach him “all the things [he] never learned.”

If I could
I’d protect you from the sadness in your eyes
Give you courage, in a world of compromise
Yes I would

If I could
I would teach you all the things I never learned
And I’d help you cross the bridges that I burned
Yes I would

If I could
I would try to shield your innocence from time
But the part of life I gave you isn’t mine
I watched you grow
So I could let you go

If I could
I would help you make it through the hungry years
But I know that I could never dry your tears
But I would
If I could

If I live
In a time and place where you don’t want to be
You don’t have to walk along this road with me
My yesterdays don’t have to be your ways

If I knew
I’d have tried to change the world I brought you to
But there isn’t very much more that I can do
But I would
If I could

You know I would
If I could

I love you, Jori. I hope you know that. And I know that Almighty God has a big plan for your life.

If I could, I would tell you to trust Him no matter what, especially in the dark days to come. Jesus is your shield, your firm foundation . . . your very life. Love him, serve Him with everything you are capable of.

Who can say what lies ahead? God only knows. If I could, I would have trusted in Him at the age you are right now. Instead I turned away and wandered for so many sad, hopeless years. Don’t make that same mistake. Life is too short and time too precious to waste. Make the most of every opportunity to give glory to God.

Congratulations on finishing your high school years strong. I knew you could do it. You have what it takes because you have Jesus.

Love,

Joe

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What the Gospel Demands

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Joe

[This is part of the Radical Series. Have you seen the other posts yet?]

I’m a little behind in my reading of Radical. As a result, I thought I’d change up the series a little and let David Platt do some of the talking.

Thoughts on the video?

[This is part of the Radical Series. Have you seen the other posts yet?]

May He Increase!

If you really want to get “Radical,” you can click below:

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Having Become Rich, We Are Poor

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Joe

[This is part of the Radical Series. Have you seen the other posts yet?]

I have to confess: when I’m watching TV and one of those commercials come on about starving kids somewhere in the world, I don’t give it a second thought; I turn the channel. I don’t view these commercials any differently than I would a breakfast cereal commercial.

Then I read this from David Platt’s Radical:

Today more than a billion people in the world live and die in desperate poverty. They attempt to survive on less than a dollar per day. Close to two billion others live on less than two dollars per day. That’s nearly half the world struggling today to find food, water, and shelter with the same amount of money I spend on french fries for lunch. More than twenty-six thousand children today will breathe their last breath due to starvation or a preventable disease.”

The UNICEF website has a plethora of stats on the state of the world’s children. Check it out.

In looking for a graphic to include with this post, I ran across this one.

This picture haunts me for a few reasons. First, the child looks terrified or at least worried. But most of all, he looks like my own son, Nicholas.

There have been times in his first three and-a-half years where due to miscommunication between my wife and I, Nick has gone without really eating a full meal for an extended period of time. When I’ve realized this, it makes me feel like a failure as a parent and it breaks my heart.

Now magnify that feeling by Platt’s twenty-six thousand children figure!

We don’t let our own children starve unless it’s out of sheer neglect. What about the innocents in the rest of the world who are truly going hungry? What will future generations say of us who are letting generations of children starve?

What will Jesus say!

In chapter six of Radical, Platt hammers home this point. It’s caused me to look at my situation and realize that this is a huge “blind spot” for me. My family and I really need to deeply and prayerfully look at our role in this and what we can do to play a part in making a difference in people’s lives.

It’s been many years since I’ve been to places where there is extreme poverty. The last time–shamefully, I admit–was when I was a pre-teen and visited an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico.

Have you been convicted of this in the past? Have you been to areas of extreme poverty and were profoundly changed? What was your experience?

[This is part of the Radical Series. Have you seen the other posts yet?]

May He Increase!

If you really want to get “Radical,” you can click below:

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