Home Study: Complete

I have been a little shell-shocked these past couple days. Our home study is complete. It was such a long, drawn out process that I think that I started to wonder if it would ever be complete. But it is now. We have it in hand. We have the proof. It is no longer "we are working on it" or "nearly done" or "just another couple weeks." It is finished.

Now the next steps are to start applying for financial aid (which requires a home study; did I mention that we have one now?) and waiting on God's timing.

Pro-lifers arrested in Birmingham...

9 Pro-lifers arrested in Birmingham. Yes in that Birmingham.

http://www.socon.ca/or_bust/?p=1525

Another letter from Screwtape

This one is on the matter of abortion. I don't know where it was found, but hopefully the revelation of it's contents will damage the cause of the nether-world.

http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=10675

Celebrating Lincoln

Today is Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. What better way to celebrate his life than to celebrate the man who reduced slavery.

Under his leadership, Congress passed laws requiring more humane treatment of enslaved persons, proper slave health care, and preventing slave owners from separating slave familes.

http://thepoint.breakpoint.org/2009/02/celebrating-lincoln-who-reduced-slavery.html

Who are you thinking about?

I ran across this comment on another blog that I follow. It was so good that I had to post it here.

http://abbafund.wordpress.com/2009/02/09/francis-chan-on-the-value-of-life/

Why is my life more valuable than this baby’s? Someone asked me recently why I don’t save money for emergencies, or retirement. My answer was how can I justify saving for myself “just in case” something happens to me, when something IS happening to so many already. 29,000 kids will die today of preventable causes. If I’m to love my neighbor AS myself, why spend so much time worrying about me.

I concur.

As Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount (paraphrased), "Why think about yourself? If the Father in heaven takes care of the flowers of the field, how much more will he take care of you?"

Who are YOU thinking about?

The Lost Generation

I really liked this video. It's about 2 minutes long. Well worth the watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

Disgusting

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,488644,00.html

and

http://www.wesleyjsmith.com/blog/2009/02/ap-infant-survives-late-term-abortion.html

Take a good look at that picture in the second link. See if you can identify a "lump of tissue". I see a baby.

Disgusting.

Invincible

Here's a crazy (and true!) story.

Yesterday when I was driving home from work the manifest presence of the Lord entered the car. It was thick and unmistakable. He said only one thing "What do you want?"

God has asked me this one time before. Two years ago I was sitting in my cubicle at work, listening to the bible when the story of blind Bartemaeus began to be read. In the story Bart, as we will call him, hears that Jesus is walking by and begins crying out desperately. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" He gets so loud and obnoxious that the crowd tries to quiet him down. But Bart will have none of it. "Jesus, Son of David, have MERCY on me." Finally, realizing that Bart will never quite down, the crowd brings him to Jesus. And what does Jesus say? Only one thing.

"What do you want?"

At that moment a cry deep in my soul began to raise itself towards heaven. As Bart in the bible replied "I want to see!", I in my cube replied "I want a real job! I want a REAL JOB!" For five minutes this cry, this desperate prayer, echoed in my soul. Thirty minutes later, literally, a phone call came with a dream job offer at the exact salary level that I needed at a company that I thought had passed me by.

So, now, here I am again. I have a job. And God is in my car asking me "What do you want?" I don't want for anything material. I have learned to be content. Is my life 'perfect'? Hardly. Are there days when I desire possessions? Certainly. But I have learned, in every situation, to be content. (Or at least I am learning.)

"What do you want?"

The question echoed through me. This is not a light question. Do you ask for wisdom? Maybe. That didn't seem to turn out so well for Solomon. Yeah he was smart and rich, but he doesn't seem to have ended very well. Do you ask for money? Do you ask for world peace? Seriously.

"What do you want?"

I have pondered the question for about 24 hours now. I went for a walk tonight and the question was still there, though the echo was fading. I knew I needed to answer before the night was over or the offer would be withdrawn. I prayed. "Lord, what should I ask for?"

Silence.

It seems like a good thing to pray, but was truely my choice and He would not influence my decision. He would respect my free will.

Suddenly, my dull, aching spirit knew. My over-stimulated nerves calmed. I knew the answer. I knew what I wanted.

"I want a heart that is alive. I want a heart that burns with passion for Jesus."

I suddenly knew that if I had this one thing, nothing else would be able to sway me. Not knowledge. Not money. Not power. Nothing. I would be unshakable. I would be invincible.

"I want a heart that is alive. I want a heart that burns with passion for Jesus."

"What do you want?"