“In the media today, the Christian media, there’s too much triffling with God, too much slapstick, too much triviality. There aren’t enough tears. There isn’t enough seriousness. The Joy has a light silly flavor to it. Not the kind of flavor that out to be there when you have suffered and died with Jesus. We ought to be calling the world to a kind of joy which has tears on it’s face and can walk through dark valleys. Instead of trying to sound like the silly banter of primetime, drive time, world.”
John Piper, “Looking at the Kindness and Severity of God 2
Want a happy valentines day? How about every day?
Recent studies show that “altruistic” love, or self-sacrificial love is shown to make married people happier. But in general, people who show altruistic love are generally happier people. For Christian’s, Jesus Christ is the ultimate model of altruistic love. He sacrificed his life for our eternal happiness.
Read the complete article on WebMD: Click Here
Matthew is getting a swinging start into the New Year!
We’ve passed by this swing many times on our walks. We never thought to try putting Matthew in one. God forbid our precious little boy get injured!
As we were passing the swings on our walk, I had the idea to go over and swing on one of the adult swings, holding Matthew in my lap. Being the old fart that I am, I easily get motion sickness from the whimpiest things, including swings.
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I look next to me and there are these plastic bucket, diaper looking swings that just might work. So I stick Matthew in one and carefully swing him back and forth. Sure enough, it works like a charm. He can wiggle around as much as he likes and he stays right in there. You know Matthew is having fun when he’s kicking and his mouth is wide open.
There are more photos in the galleries. Click Here
Dear Friends and Family,
We had a wonderful year in sunny California. We were blessed with Matthew in May. He is now 7 months old and experiencing his first Christmas. You can bet he?s getting plenty of gifts his first year.
San Jose is a super busy place during the holidays. Although we have three large malls in San Jose, the traffic for our Valley Fair mall started a quarter mile before the freeway exit! Thankfully, we had a secret back route. We finished our shopping and can breathe a sigh of relief.
Jenn and I have been working in the junior high ministry at Church on the Hill. We are having lots of fun while serving a wonderful God who is the supreme giver of gifts. So let?s not forget the real reason for the season. Celebrate that little baby Jesus born in Bethlehem.
?She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.?? (Matthew 1:21, NIV)
Have a Merry Christmas,
Happy Birthday to Jesus,
and Have a Happy New Year!
Matthew’s first formal photo shoot. He just might be on his way to a modeling career.
We took out a large backdrop that had been hidden in the garage and draped it from our second story loft. All the lighting is from the huge sliding glass windows that cover the front half of the room.
He’s wearing a special outfit sent to us by Moma Lynn in Alabama. In some of the photos, he’s holding a very special bear that was made for him at the Build a Bear by his uncle Jared.
Please let us know what is your favorite photo. We want to enter the best photo into the Nikon Coolpix photo contest. The winner receives a $25,000 U.S. saving bond for college. See all the photos in the gallery. Click Here
We stocked up on firewood this winter. $55 for 1/8th a chord of oak wood from the local wood yard.
We figured it would cost us $170 to buy the equivalent amount at the Albertsons grocery store. That’s quite a bit of savings. The wood is much harder to get lit because it’s really dense solid oak. However, once it get’s going, it lasts for quite a while.
Matthew loves the fire. He seems smart enough not to get too close, but we still never leave him alone in the living room when the fire is going.
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