What we've learned...

"What we’ve learned is this: God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does" (Rom. 3:27b).

Good morning, Lord. Thank you for the apostle Paul. His writings are always challenging. You really did a great thing with him, Lord. It is always good to be reminded of our place in your plan for history. Thank you also for the conversation that you led me to have with S. last night. It was good to confess to him what I had done to him. It was also wonderful to hear his forgiveness for me. He behaved to me as you do so often--forgiving me. Thank you also for D. & D., and for the talks we could have. Help us to keep being honest with each other, Lord.

Thank you, Lord, for leading me in prayer for the people in our small groups of various descriptions. It was a rich time of blessing for me. Please help me to consistently pray for everyone--I know that without you, I won't do it. Thank you for the friends you have given us. Thank you also for the fact that you have been merciful in not giving us too many enemies--just Satan and ourselves (but they are enough!). Please help me to follow you today, and not myself.

Please be with everyone I know who is heading back to school. Thank you so much for school--for the opportunity to learn more about you and your creation.

Thank you again for Gwyneth and Kieren and Aaron. Thank you that some of our friends can come over tonight to celebrate Gwyneth's birthday.

Thank you for the process that you are having me go through with ordination in the CRC. I'm frustrated with it, but I submit the process to you, and I thank you for it too.

I love you, Lord.
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If you sin knowing full well what you're doing...

Good morning, Lord. Thank you for this morning. Thank you for all that you have done already in the night preparing for this day. Thank you again for Gwyneth's birthday yesterday. Please bless her with many more years of service to you. Thank you for having mercy on me yesterday and not giving me the opportunity to fall to temptation.

I was reading in Romans today, in The Message, and Paul says to the Romans,"If you sin without knowing what you’re doing, God takes that into account. But if you sin knowing full well what you’re doing, that’s a different story entirely. Merely hearing God’s law is a waste of your time if you don’t do what he commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God." (Rom. 2:12,13) Paul reminded me about the seriousness of committing sins willfully--with knowledge that you are doing sin. Please help me, Lord, to know what this means and to live a life worthy of you.

Thank you so much for your grace and mercy, Lord. Please give me strength and wisdom today as I seek to walk in your ways. Please keep me from temptation and help me to guide others to you by example.
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The sin that gives away the others

Good morning, Lord. I was reading in Romans this morning about how, when we loudly criticise and condemn others, it probably is an attempt, on our part, to direct away from our own sins (Rom. 2:1,2). Lord, please help me to humbly view the issues that others struggle with, wanting only to help in your way and in your time.

Lord, please forgive me for last evening. I had struggles with the usual and did not claim help for it. Please guide me through today and help me to be the conquerer through your Spirit. Please help me Lord to be honest with everyone and to communicate well and truthfully all that they need to hear from me. Help me to use your words, instead of my own.

Thank you for Gwyneth's birthday. Lord, help me to celebrate with her in a way that she will appreciate. Thank you for all that you have done already through the night to prepare this day for all that you have prepared for it. Amen.

Good Morning

Good morning, Lord! It's 5:47 a.m. and I'm up. It sounds nutty, God, but I feel good about it. I'm glad that I can show my love for you in this way. Aaron is awake, but Gwyneth and I are ignoring him for now and doing our devotions instead.

I love you. You have done so much for us. Thank you for the jobs that you have given us at Living Hope and at Rhema. Thank you for the daycare person that you have given us. Thanks for our kids. Thanks for the Bible, the written word, the true story of your Word, Jesus. Thank you for helping us to get things done so that we can participate in your Kingdom mission here on earth. Thank you for the friends and family that you have given us and the faithfulness that you have given them. Thank you that my sister is delving into your scriptures so deeply. Please continue to bless her searching so that she may continue to serve you more deeply every day. Thank you for the financial lady that was here the other day and that you, through her company, have, once again, taken care of our financial needs. Thank you for Gwyneth! Thank you that her birthday is coming up. Help me to celebrate with her in a good way.

Thank you for all that you have done already through the night to prepare this day for all that you have in mind for it. Lord, please give me strength to do your will throghout today, and not my own. Please help me to focus on what is important and leave behind what is not. Please help me to live out Hebrews 13:9 today, "Don’t be lured away from him by the latest speculations about him. The grace of Christ is the only good ground for life. Products named after Christ don’t seem to do much for those who buy them."

You are awesome, Lord. I love you. Be near me today please. Have mercy on our family.

Thanks

Thank you, God for your sacrifice. Thanks for coming in Jesus to be our sacrifice for all of our sins. Hebrews talks a lot about your work in coming here and dying for us. You have done tremendous things.

Please forgive me for the pettiness and selfishness that I exhibit much of the time. Please help me to be patient with my family. Please forgive me for shouting at Kieren this morning. Thank you for helping me to explain why sucking her thumb is bad in a way that she seems to have understood. Thank you for keeping the rest of my day pure yesterday, have mercy on me today, please, Lord.

Thank you for the church. Please be with her as she makes decisions about where you would have her go and what that looks like. Please help her financially; thank you for providing so much for her already. I love you, Lord, and I love your church.

Please help Gwyneth and I as we seek to do your will. I don't really know where, specifically, you are taking us, but I am excited about the journey so far and I'm looking forward to whatever you would have us do. Please give us all the physical things that we need today. If we don't have your help, we won't make it.

Thank-you so much God! You are awesome, in the true sense of the word. Amen

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Things are going pretty well, Lord, in spite of all the problems I've had with keeping things on track. Your grace has definitely covered me! I'm down to 7 assignments, in spite of the 3 more being added for the first class of the school year. I've also had a chance to do some work on the various applications that I'm supposed to do for the EPMC at Calvin Seminary. Thanks for being so merciful to me. It has been good to feel like I've finally been fairly focussed after a long time of lack thereof.

Lord please be with my family members who need help, you know of whom I'm writing in particular. Please be merciful in that situation. Thank-you for the Love that you have shown them already. Please make yourself clear to them. Thank-you again for the family you have given me--for Gwyneth and the kids; Lord, you are too kind to me! ;-)

I wanted to do a lot of reading of The Message by Eugene Peterson over these past couple of weeks, but I thank you that I've been able to learn more about you through the work that you've had me doing anyway. Thanks for our friends who are there for us in whatever we go through. Please help me to be there for them as well. Thanks for Pete & Julie. I appreciate hearing from them so much. You are so good. Thank-you Lord. Please have mercy on me.

The new school year already!?!

Yesterday I received some of the assignments that we have to do for our first day of classes this fall. I have more than 100 pages of articles to read, in addition to the assignments I am still behind on. I also had a meeting with the "classical funding committee" for funding for my seminary education. They were great, but they really encouraged me to get on track with applying for the EPMC (Ecclesiastical Program for Ministerial Candicady) at Calvin Seminary. The application is 16 pages long and has many requirement for it, and I need to get it done before the middle of September as well.

I also need to get back on track with the film project. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to push back the timeline on that one a bit, too. Oh well. Lord, I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in myself again. I'm already behind and I haven't even started the school year yet. I still don't even know who is willing to stay in our small group, let alone have anything planned for that. Thank-you, Lord, for Gwyneth and that she has some ideas.

Thank-you also for Lesslie Newbigin and all of the other fantastic writers and men and women of faith that you are introducing me too at seminary. I've really enjoyed reading "The Good Shepherd" so far. So much to learn, so much to think about. God, you are so good. Please forgive me for holding on to the worry about things that I can't do anything about. I give them--all of them--to you.

Thank-you, Lord. Have mercy on me.

Daniel
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Back to Work

It's the long weekend here in Canada still for most folks, but I need to get back to work. I have 8 assignments left to do, and I'd like to get them done before the end of Saturday, if possible. I want to be in our own church next week. I miss her (the Church). I should talk to Gwyneth about my desires, I suppose. Lord, please forgive me for all my sins. I really need your help to do what is right, and to do my work. I just feel like I really need you today, God. Please have mercy on me.

Getting some more work done

I'm working on all the reports that I'm behind on, right? And it just so happens that one of the assignments that I thought I hadn't even started on was actually pretty much done. Excellent. God is good, yes?

Birthdays and Stuff

Today is my Father-in-Law's 60th birthday. So the kids got up early (before 6:00 am) and decorated the dining room for him. Mommy & Kieren are up in the kitchen making pancakes for Grandpa's birthday. I'm so grateful for my in-law's, Lord. Dad is great--a good mentor--wise, and humble, and deep in the knowledge of God. He's always seeking after truth. Thank-you for bringing me into this family (not to mention for giving me such a wonderful wife)!

Anyway, Aaron and I are watching TV right now (TVOkids--thank-you for that too, Lord). Aaron was having difficulty keeping quiet upstairs while we were decorating. ;-) One of Aaron's favourite shows is on--"Mighty Machines". I know he loves big machines. On the one hand, I do to, they're a lot of fun, but on the other hand, they are used to do so much damage to your world, God. This one is called "In the Dump" and there's so much trash.

And then I think about garbage dumps in Cambodia (and other parts of the world) where people are so desperate that they choose to live in (or right next to) a garbage dump, and they play and get their food and shelter from what others have thrown away. The injustice, Lord! How long will you let this happen? What do you want me to do? How long will you let us do this to each other?

Still, you are good, God. I love you. I know you are doing what is right and you always will do it. Thank-you again for my Father-in-Law. Please bring him an extra special day today. Please also bring him many more years, Lord. I love you. Thank-you.