"I may be speaking to some who can say, with an emphasis, that they oftentimes find great crops of thistles springing up in their hearts, and they have to keep the sickle of sacred mortification going to cut them down, and they try if possible to dig them up by the roots. But thus it is; you cannot expect a perfect life of happiness in an imperfect world Eke this. No; your Savior carried the cross, and you will have a cross of some kind or other to carry after him. “?Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee.?” Spurgeon, C. H. 

“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:3-5, NIV)

I’ve heard others complain about all the rules imposed by the Church. They feel it’s impossible for them to follow it. I have some old friends that say they couldn’t give up their party style life for God. Sure, it may seem like a very difficult task to follow God’s commands. However, His commands are not burdensome. God has given someone, Jesus Christ, so that we can overcome the world.

What does it mean to overcome the world? It means to be freed from the pressures and worries imposed by the world. We don’t become destroyed by the temptations for materials and physical pleasures. We don’t become lost in the chaos of relative truths, new age lies, and false religions. We stumble, but we not rise up, we are triumphant.

Those of us that have been born of God, having faith in Jesus Christ, can overcome the world. We do not need to feel hopelessness or despair when we fall or stumble. God has already claimed victory for us, and in the end, we will overcome the world. Let’s rejoice!

We took a trip to Happy Hollow, a park and zoo located close to our house. I haven’t been there since I was a kid. I used to love this place and it’s still the lovable place that I remember.

Jenn and I had a chance to horse around.

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Jenn and I really enjoy spending evenings with those junior high kids at Church on the Hill. The Oasis Junior High ministry has a very cool website up. Check out the new photos, read devotionals, funny quotes, or just find out what’s going on with Oasis Junior High at www.oasisjhigh.com

Here’s Matthew after his bath. This is one of our favorite photos of him. Brown is a really good color for him and the brown backround really makes this photo stand out. Doesn’t it look like he’s ready to run around and have some fun!

Usability is important to all of us. If we can avoid frustrations associated with using these computers, then we can have a more enjoyable day.
This article goes over some top ten usability issues for weblog’s (This site is based on weblog software). http://www.useit.com/alertbox/weblogs.html