In the Same Pool

Our family has been blessed by my mom’s generosity to get a pool a couple years ago and let us swim in it whenever we want. Since we only live 10 minutes from my mom’s house, our kids regularly request trips to Grandma Jo’s this time of year. The past few weeks have been – for me – that awkward time of year when swimming is appealing, but the water temperature is not quite up to my preferable temperature. The kids do not seem to mind, but I sure do. In fact, the kids were swimming a few weeks ago when the air temperature and pool temperature were both 66 degrees. That is not my idea of fun!

When the water is a little chilly, some of my kids just jump in, while some of them prefer the slower method of adaptation. Eventually, though, everyone is swimming and having a great time. Did the enjoyment for some of them start sooner? Sure. All of them ended up in the same place, though, as long as they all got in the same pool.

Is this not how it is for us in the Christian life, too? We might have our different struggles and hesitations, but as long as we are heading in the same direction to the same place (and get there), then we are part of the same family – the family of Jesus Christ.

For this reason, I really like confessions of faith like the Apostles’ Creed. To be a follower of Jesus, there are certain things you must believe. There are certain responses necessary to the truth of God’s Word (faith in Jesus Christ and repentance from your sins). Sure, you might get there slower than some and faster than others, but what matters is that you get there. When you do, you are no less part of the body of Christ than anyone else, regardless of the journey.

The kid who slowly got used to the water is no less in the water and used to the water than the kid who jumped in quicker and got used to it quicker.

Praise God for His grace! Apart from His Spirit working in our hearts and revealing the Truth to us, we would never “get in the pool.” When we do get in, though, by surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, then we are in. We are in for good. He will never let us go.

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching from 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 on the important doctrine that “God Is Triune,” taking some time, too, to consider the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Hopefully, the message will be available HERE by Sunday evening.

Are you in the pool of Christian faith? If not, I want to invite you to jump in and experience the amazing mercy and grace of God through Jesus Christ and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit. Even if you are not ready to jump in, I would love to help you as you take your time to consider your response to the Word of God. Maybe you have some questions. Maybe you are struggling and need prayer. Either way, please let us know.

Just as my kids do not regret getting in the pool once they experience the family fun, no one regrets getting in the pool of the Christian life because they experience a relationship with Jesus and fellowship with His church. Praise the Lord!

If you want to learn more about what it means to know and follow Jesus, check out The Story.

Never Enough

The cleaning never ends in our home. Likewise, the cleaning never ends in your home, right? There will always be messes to clean up, dust to wipe away, floors to mop, carpets to vacuum, dishes to wash, and disorder to organize. The work never ends.

I believe our kids are actually cleaner than most, and I would like to think that I am cleaner than the average man. Yet, it seems like Marsha is always cleaning. Of course, she is very clean and thorough (and I am grateful to God for her), but the cleaning never ends. Her efforts are never enough. She can dust the furniture on Tuesday, but new dust has appeared by Thursday. She can mop the floors on Thursday, but the kids leave their tracks on Friday.

Truly, house cleaning is merely a band-aid to cover the mess that is sure to return.

Similar, but with far greater consequences and devastation, are our attempts to clean up our lives. Our efforts will never suffice. Our sacrifices will never be enough. We can try and try (and even make things look good for a while), but the cursed stain of sin and resulting death have control over us – that is, unless they are taken away forever.

Praise God for His Son Jesus Christ – the Only One who can take away sin and death forever. He defeated sin and death when He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead for our justification. Do you believe? Have you trusted in His life, death, and resurrection for your salvation, surrendering your life to Him? Only then can the cursed stain of sin and resulting death be removed from your record for eternity.

Yes, we are all still sinners and continually in need of God’s grace, help, mercy, and forgiveness, but when you turn from your sins and trust Jesus alone to save you, your status is changed. Your eternity is secure. Your adoption as a child of God is official. Your life is made new.

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching through Hebrews 10:1-18 on the incredibly important truth that “Jesus Died for Our Sins.” The message will hopefully be available HERE on Sunday afternoon. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is essential for our salvation, so we will explore this truth Sunday morning.

Do not trust in yourself for a clean heart and a clean life. Jesus alone makes us clean, and He alone enables us to endure to the end. Have you trusted in Him? Are you continually trusting in Him? If so, you will indeed work hard in the faith as if you needed to but not because you need to. Rather, because you have been made new. Praise be to God!

To understand and embrace the saving message of the gospel – the only message of salvation – please check out The Story and turn to Jesus.

Eight!

Micah’s eighth birthday was April 3, and in typical family fashion, we just spent the day together as a family. Micah opened some gifts, we ate lunch at McDonald’s (per his request), we “shopped” around a little at Ozarkland, we flew a kite (one of Micah’s gifts), we worked together on another one of Micah’s gifts (a puzzle), and we had a great day together. I am grateful to the Lord for my family and the blessing of days like this!

We have a man-child!

Last Friday, Noah turned 18. Whoa! Per usual, we celebrated as a family, and here are a few pictures…

Christmas Pics

I love Christmas time and am already sad that it is over. Well, almost over (we still get to sing some of the great Christmas hymns of praise in our upcoming Sunday morning service with our church – praise the Lord!). Over the past couple of weeks, though, I have loved time with family, including our amazing church family. God has been so good to us. To Him be all the glory!

Here are some picture highlights from the past couple of weeks…

Children’s Christmas Program

Gingerbread House

Christmas Story with the Kids

Christmas Candlelight Service

ELF and Caramel Corn

Worship on Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas!

3-to-13 on Christmas Night

Christmas Dance Routine

Christmas Presents

More Christmas Presents

Silas with His New Walking Stick

My Attempt at a Christmas Panorama

Joy because…

On January 24, 2018, the Minnesota Vikings traveled to Philadelphia to play the Eagles in the NFC championship game. Because the game was played on a Sunday evening and we had a special event with our church, I did not watch the game, except for the first drive. In that first drive, the Vikings marched down the field and got a touchdown, taking an early 7-0 lead, and I remember thinking as I headed into our church’s fellowship hall, “My favorite team might be going to the Super Bowl!“

I was excited. You see, the Vikings were, at that time, 0-5 in NFC championship games since they had last made it to the Super Bowl in 1976. Yes, zero Super Bowl appearances in my lifetime.

Well, if you know much about the National Football League, you know the Vikings are now 0-6 in NFC championship games since last making it to the Super Bowl two years before I was born. In that aforementioned game back in 2018, the Vikings went on to get destroyed by the Eagles 38-7. Yes, that is correct – the Vikings scored on that first drive and then got outscored 38-0 the rest of the way. Ouch!

Incredibly hopeful heading to our church’s event that night, I was sorely disappointed when I later learned the Vikings were getting demolished. Such is the life of a Vikings fan. Maybe this year will be different, though! That is, after all, what I have been saying almost every single year my entire life. Maybe this is the year!

Looking back on those rare glimpses of hope – including the 1998 season that ended with the Vikings going 15-1, entering the playoffs as heavy Super Bowl favorites and then losing in overtime in the NFC championship game after the team’s previously-perfect-on-the-season kicker missed a seemingly easy game-sealing field goal in the indoor Metrodome toward the end of the fourth quarter – none of those glimpses of hope ended with joy. None.

Why did those seemingly joyous and hopeful seasons not end in joy? Because they ended in disappointment.

Truly, that is how Christmas would be if not for the cross. We would not be celebrating the birth of Jesus if not for the death and resurrection of Jesus. Without the cross, Jesus’ birth would be like the last six NFC championship game appearances for the Vikings – an exciting moment that only failed to bring joy.

Praise the Lord, though, that He did not fail to deliver. He is so much better than the best of victors in this life because His victory is certain and eternal.

On Christmas morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching from Isaiah 53 on “The Promise of Payment.” Some might think, “Wait, Isaiah 53?! Isn’t that a passage for Easter Sunday?” Yes, typically, but without our suffering Savior, we have no Christmas to celebrate.

The joy of Christmas is not really because of the Baby who was born as much as because of the sacrifice He made. Thus, we are going to fast forward to the end of the story and be challenged to celebrate Christmas by looking to the cross.

“He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

Christmas is on a Sunday this year! I love it! Let us worship the King (like always), while singing some of the best songs ever written, like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Praise God!

To truly know and experience the joy to come, you have to know and follow the Savior who won the victory. Learn more by checking out The Story today.

Recent Picture Highlights

Here are some family highlights from the past few months…

August

September

October

The Only Two Things I Really Dislike About Living in Callaway County

I love living in Callaway County, and the reasons I love living here (family, church family, the community, the schools, etc.) are far too numerous to list and explain. Praise God for this great county in this great state in this great country! Truly, this is a great place to live.

No place is perfect, though, and sometimes that reality sets in more than others. The two things I truly dislike about Callaway County have been on my mind lately for the reasons you will see below.

1. DISTANCE FROM EXTENDED FAMILY

Since nearly all of my family lives in Minnesota, I do not get to see them nearly as often as I would like. Also, one of my sisters, my brother-in-law, and two nieces live outside Chicago. Thankfully, they make it to Callaway County at least a couple of times each year, and we visit them, but we still do not see them nearly as often as I would love to see them.

My grandmothers (pictured below) are dear to me, and I wish I could see them weekly, not to mention a lot more often than once every year or two. Same for my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Grandma Drake with Our Kids

Grandma Pat and Me

Well, the distance from family (not the fault of Callaway County) is the biggest thing I dislike about living here. The second thing is very much the fault of this county, though (or at least people making some important decisions).

2. GRAVEL ROADS

I absolutely despise the high volume of gravel roads in Callaway County. We are unable to open our windows in the summer time because the dust from the gravel roads west of where we live is so overwhelming. And, we do not even live on a gravel road, but the roads southwest and west of us are gravel. Furthermore, many people in Callaway County live on gravel roads, and I visit a lot of people. If you have a tire business, this would be a great place for you to live because vehicle tires surely cannot last very long with all the gravel travel.

You might think, “Well, this is a farming community. Of course there are a lot of gravel roads.” Consider, though, that there are subdivisions on gravel roads in this county! There are roads where dozens of homes exist, and yet those roads are gravel. Regularly, there are gravel trucks and road graders “fixing” our roads. I never thought I would long for asphalt so much!

Now, you might be wondering why I am writing such a post. Despite my venting and complaining above, particularly about the gravel roads, I write this to say – this county must be pretty great if those are really the only two things I can think of that I sincerely dislike. And, one is not even the fault of Callaway County but just the reality for me (and some others like me).

So, if you can put up with some gravel dust but want to be around great people in a conservative county with good family values and good churches, consider moving to Callaway County. The cost of living is low (I would be happy to make it much higher for paved roads 😉), and the location is actually really good (rural and yet close to Jefferson City, Columbia, and the Lake of the Ozarks).

Gravel roads stink, but other than those, Callaway County does not. Praise the Lord for my home where I have now lived longer than any other place in my life!

Practice!?

In the past week, we have enjoyed attending training camp practices for the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs, the two NFL teams for which we cheer.

During the first one – our trip to the Twin Cities – we were sitting in the stands of the TCO Performance Center (the Vikings’ amazing practice and training facility), when Marsha told Micah, “Okay, it’s almost time for their practice to start.”

Micah’s reply was priceless. He said with exasperation, “Practice?!” He was thinking that surely, with thousands of fans waiting in a packed house, we must have been waiting for something more than practice.

Still, it was fun, especially considering how close we were to the players. Everyone except Micah – not yet much of a football fan – really enjoyed the experience.

At Missouri Western State University, home of the Chiefs’ training camp, Zoe waited by a gate for 2.5 hours with the hopes of getting Patrick Mahomes’ autograph (it was QBs and RBs day for autographs). While she did not get Mahomes’ autograph, she did get a couple others, along with some great experiences, including Jody Fortson coming right up to Zoe, signing his gloves, and giving them to her. Needless to say, we are now huge Fortson fans, as well as bigger fans of Mercole Hardman (Zoe got his autograph on a jersey for Noah), Juan Thornhill, Justin Watson, and Austin Edwards, all who took a lot of time to come over, visit, and sign autographs.

Click HERE for some pictures of both training camps.

Also, HERE is the video of Fortson coming up to Zoe.

Memories in Minnesota

We have had a great week in Minnesota this week, even though we were in the Mall of America when an active shooter was there (Thursday afternoon). Praise God for His sovereign provision (I will have to share more someday about some of the things that happened)!

Below are some pictures of our time in Lanesboro, Chatfield, Rochester, and Minneapolis. You can see more pictures HERE.