Family Pictures

I scanned these in. They were taken at Photo Majik in Farmington

What scares me

I am first a repenter and worshiper of God.
I am second a husband and father.
I am third a pastor.
I am fourth a musician.

That's who I am. My main desire in life is to worship God. I can't help but worship for what He has done for me. He has called me His own and adopted me into His family. I have been undone by His holiness and His offering of grace.

SO, here is the deal. Can I let you in on my life tonight?

Here's what scares me. God has entrusted me with three beautiful girls. This August I will celebrate my fifth wedding anniversary. My love (agape and eros) for Becky grows every day. I can't comprehend how committed she is to God, me, her children, and her work. She makes me better.

And God has entrusted me with two beautiful girls. Two living, breathing, smiling, crying, growing, loving and learning children. I desire to lead them to live GOSPEL-centered lives. I don't want the first person to date them to be some 16 year old punk with a car. I'm going to take them out on dates first. I want to SHOW them how men should treat them.

I desire to show them the Christ-followers they must be.
I desire to show them how to love their mother.
I desire to show them how to treat others.
I desire to show them the type of man they should look for.

So here is the type of man I desire for my girls.

Here is who I want to take interest in my daughters in 20 years. A man who is:

• A repenter with a repentant heart.
  
• A worshiper of the living God
  
• A disciple of Jesus (THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL)
  
• A man who is grounded in God's word
  
• A man who is willing to Stand in God's word
  
• A man with his hand to the plow
  
• A man who loves His mother.
  
• A man who has been led by his father.
  
• A man who cares about his health, but is not obsessed with making an "impression" on others
  
• A man who is faithful in church
  
• A man who is faithful in using his spiritual gifts in church
  
• A man who is committed to being used by God in the community (outside the church walls)
  
• A man who is honest
  
• A man who is not given to drunkenness
  
• A man who doesn't look at the world through religious lenses, rather gospel lenses.
  
• A man who strives for purity without excuse
  
• A man who doesn't just HEAR the word of God, but DOES/LIVES the word of God.
  
• A man who is passionate
  
• A man who is not a "workaholic"
  
• A man who has surrendered to the authority of Jesus and His teaching
  
• A man who is not afraid to LEAD
  
• A man who is willing to BE led by God
  
• A man who surrounds himself with other men who are being LED by GOD.
  
• A man who will love my girls as Christ loves the church.
  
• Let me be specific. A man who is willing to sacrifice HIS life for my girls (physically, spiritually, mentally) and completely surrender his life to God's command.

Do YOU want to know what REALLY scares me? I'm not sure there are men still like this. What happened to manhood? Biblical manhood? So here is my covenant to my girls. I am going to live my life as an example of that list.

I love you all

- Your husband and daddy.

9 Parallax View Videos on YouTube

Hello, we have posted several new videos at

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=pview

Videos include:

1. Sing Like the Saved
2. Fly
3. Goodbye to Me
4. Our God is Able
5. All Because of Jesus
6. We Shine
7. Yesterday's Changes
8. Your Son
9. Open the eyes of my heart

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=pview

Where does the church need to be "re-Reformed"?

I am posting this question that was posed in my seminary coursework today. What do you think? It is a great question!

Of the five phrases that marked the Reformation (faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, Scripture alone, and glory to God alone), which represents the area where the church today needs to be “re-Reformed”? In other words, where has today’s church departed from the great principles of the Reformation?

There are five Latin phrases used to describe the view Protestants held with respect to the gospel:

· sola fide (by faith alone)

· sola gratia (by grace alone)

· solus christus (by Christ alone)

· sola scriptura (Scripture alone)

· soli deo Gloria (glory to God alone)

We Shine

We Shine - Parallax View on Vimeo.

It's electric!

This past weekend I left town to play music near Carlinville, IL for a weekend senior high youth gathering at Lake Williamson retreat center. As you can see, mom and the girls took off to have some fun. As it turns out, the Magic House in St. Louis is quite the electrifying experience!

At the Shameless Youth Conference, Dr. Micah Parker's theme was "Shameless" focusing on Romans 1:16

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." - ESV

Dr. Micah Parker did a terrific job. His story is amazing, especially his push through adversity. He also performed a pretty hilarious George Carlin (more like anti-carlin) routine. Did I mention that Saturday night he gave a straight up in your face sex talk to youth? I thought it was very bold, needed, and right on.

I was inspired to turn my devotional time to the book of Romans. I'm going to read a chapter a day and write down some thoughts. Then I'm going to use some outside resources (study guides) to study the book more in depth. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'll begin posting some thoughts on this blog soon after I finish my paper on the major christological controversies of the early church.

Magic House and a wild park

Today the girls went to the Magic House and to a park that had elk, bison and deer. We went with Justin, Trina, Eli and Claire. Brylee and Eli thought the trip was great and we are all worn out. I had to hold Brylee off and she fell asleep at 10! Woot! The animal park was a drive through thing and it was pretty impressive, too. I didn't know we had something like that nearby-and free too!

Plus-my brother treated us to Red Lobster and then I bought him Starbucks. Rounded the trip out with some Father's Day shopping. Lets just say by then- the kids were ready to go home.