The War of Words

This is a post that a friend of mine put on his blog today. I found it so convicting that I too wanted to share it. Thanks, Jason, for your heart and transparency.

Speech

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
-Ephesians 4:29

I love this verse and hate it all at the same time. I love the verse because this is how we are to be as followers of Christ but I hate it because it's a huge struggle of mine. Jerry Bridges, in his book Respectable Sins, says this, "We see that we are not to let any corrupting talk come out of our mouths. Corrupting talk is not limited to profanity or obscene speech. It includes all the various types of negative speech I mentioned previously (lying, slander, critical speech, etc.). Note Paul's absolute prohibition. No corrupting talk. None whatsoever. This means no gossip, no sarcasm, no critical speech, no harsh words. All of these sinful words that tend to tear down another person must be put out of our speech. Think about what the church of Jesus Christ would look like if we all sought to apply Paul's words." I debated whether to post this or not. This is not easy stuff but Christ did not promise easy, He promised a battle that can be won by His grace. These challenges or convictions should do nothing more than take us to our knees in prayer to the Father. We are called to examine ourselves and last night was a wake up call about my speech. Praise God for the cross that allows us to confess and repent and keep pressing on toward the goal in Christ Jesus.

We got floored!

This past weekend we installed an oak hardwood floor in our house. It was a family-affair as we all pulled out the carpeting, removed the tack-strips and prepped the floor. Then, on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., we began troweling out the glue and laying the boards.

This was the 1st floor that Caleb and Jeremy helped to install. The did great fitting the boards, measuring the end boards that needed cut to length and actually using a chop-saw to cut them.
I think they enjoyed helping, though it was a long day.

We worked 11 hours on Saturday, then Jill and I worked another 3 hours on Sunday afternoon to finish. It looks beautiful!

My favorite part is the transition between the living room and the hallway because there is no transition strip. This floor fits together perpendicular as easily as it does parallel (and to think, I never knew that I'd use those words outside of Geometry class).


We are so grateful to the Lord for His provision and kindness. We prayed as a family before we began and this was completed without a major injury or error.

Laying this floor reminded me of how we need to stick together as a family. Though life gets rough at times, when we come alongside each other we can provide the support needed to endure whatever comes our way. The Lord has placed us in the family we are in and we need to give Him thanks and show gratitude for His many blessings.

Cast Away

Jeremy finally got his cast off!!! I tried to tell him what to expect, but until you've experienced it first hand, it's difficult to describe.

Caleb, our resident movie director, produced this piece so you too could enjoy this momentous occasion:


There was a surprise finding although ...

After the cast was removed they took another X-ray and found that one of the bones (the top one in this photo) had not healed completely. So, Jeremy is now wearing a removeable splint for a few weeks.

Jeremy is thrilled to be able to bend his elbow once again. It won't be long before he's playing as if he'd never broken his arm. God certainly has made the body in an amazing way where it can heal itself over time.

Detour Ahead

I teach 5th/6th Grade Boys Sunday School. We were talking about how God banished Satan and 1/3 of the angels from heaven after 1 sin. They have no hope of forgiveness or reconciliation. We contrasted that with the kindness of God to offer us the free gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.


You see, God had provided a "detour" for us in Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect life and died on the cross to propitiate God's wrath and bring us back into a perfect relationship with the Father. Jesus is our "detour" from hell.

Have you taken the Detour? If not, may I encourage you to reconsider your path? Detours are established for our own good.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY path to a right relationship with God. You can accept the free gift of God's "detour" and find true life, or you can keep going your own way and trying to make your own way to God, but in the end, you'll die trying.

Learn the lesson of the fallen angels and take the Detour.

The 3-Year Old Murderer

This is a short movie we made in our backyard while watching a friend's son for a few days. We hope you enjoy it.

Caleb DeLon
Director, Producer, Cameraman

Single Handed Corn on the Cob

There's no stopping a determined young man!

Jeremy is left handed, and his left arm is in a cast. As we were eating the other night, he was having a difficult time eating an entire ear of corn. As I glanced across the table an idea popped into my head. In less than a minute we had Jeremy's one-handed corn-on-the-cob contraption fully implemented. From that point on, the corn didn't have a chance!

They say that "Necessity is the Mother of Invention!" and I can see why. Think this idea is patent-able???

The Elusive Fan

We found it!!!! THIS is the fan that we need!



It's the A/C Condenser Fan, as opposed to the Engine Cooling Fan shown below.

















After all of this searching, it dawned on me that the initial diagnosis was that the fan wasn't coming on when the engine was started. We thought that we were looking at the Engine Cooling Fan. Now I believe that we were actually looking at the A/C Condenser Fan which should NOT work unless the A/C is turned to the "on" position. That sure would explain a lot!

I'll re-diagnose this and see where the Lord leads me.

Proper diagnosis is 90% of the solution. Once we are sure of the "problem", only then can we prescribe an accurate solution. This is true in car repair, parenting, marriage and life. I am normally too quick to prescribe a solution; which gets me into trouble at times. I think the Lord is showing me to be more thorough in researching the situation BEFORE making a recommendation.

I think we'll be able to save a few dollars on this repair... but I won't know for certain until I invest a few minutes testing, researching and diagnosing. I had a similar thing happen with the Cruise Control on our van, but that'll have to wait for another Post....

Stay tuned....

The Lesson of the Snail

"By perseverance the snail reached the ark." - C. H. Spurgeon











That's how I'm feeling about now as I'm slowly, and methodically trying to locate the correct a/c cooling fan for the '96 Accord I've been working on. So far we've ordered 2 fans and both have been the wrong fan! We'll try again!

The Lord allows all things into our life to conform us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). Patience is a Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), so this is simply part of my "sanctification saga."

Stay tuned...

Caribou

A co-worker returned from the Great North of Minnesota with a bag of Caribou Coffee. This morning we are enjoying the smooth, vibrant taste. What a way begin a Friday! Thanks, Michelle (and Megan for brewing it).

Fire Proof Your Marriage

This is a MUST SEE movie!!! FamilyLife is partnering with the producers to find ways to build godly marriages. This is NOT your typical romance movie that ends at the beginning of the relationship. This begins 7 years into a strained marraige and shows how the gospel can change a life and marriage. Watch the movie trailer & other clips below.

Let's Make a Deal

Remember the old TV Game Show, "Let's Make a Deal"??? I was reminded of this show recently after reading an article in the Answers in Genesis magazine.

In our culture, people want many ways to get to God... many "doors" if you will. This game show presented contestants with a choice of 3 doors. Their "fate" depended upon which door they chose.


Similarly, our eternal fate is determined by which door we choose. The Bible states very plainly that there is only One Door through which we must enter to be saved. Jesus said:

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:9-10 ESV


Don't be fooled by the hope of multiple doors. There's only One Door that leads to God, that's the door of God's only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Neck Breaking Experience

Well, it happened again. My friend, Jason, and I were working on his car, attempting to replace one of the two cooling fans attached to the radiator. Three simple bolts and one electrical connector - a real "no brainer", or so I thought. Within 5 minutes of starting I realized this was going to be more challenging. The bottom bolt was located directly in front of the metal frame of the car, with barely enough room to get a socket on it. After many failed attempts, I decided that it'd be easier to remove the radiator to access this screw (who designs these things anyway???).

When I loosened the top radiator hose clamp and twisted the hose to break it free, the radiator inlet broke. That's NOT what I had planned! Seems like it had corroded from the inside. In about 20 minutes we had the old radiator removed and laying on the driveway.

Then we were off to the auto parts store to buy a new one. As we were exchanging the parts from the old one to the new one we realized that the fan we were going to install was the WRONG FAN!

Jason encouraged me numerous times during this adventure and reminded me to "smile" often. It was a blessing having him along for this journey as he is a bit more level headed than I am and his perspective on the situation allowed me to realize once again that God IS Sovereign and for reasons unknown to us, He chose to have this happen at this time for His glory and our good.

We installed the new radiator and all seems to be working fine. As I've pondered this fiasco, I find that it reminds me of my spiritual life. Many times I look fine on the outside but am rotten on the inside. It only takes a little bit of "twisting" from the Lord, or anyone else for that matter, to cause me to "break" and spew what's in my heart all over the place.

You see, I too am corroded on the inside. My heart is sinful and wicked. I'm full of pride, anger, selfishness, control, and many other harmful contaminants. I need Jesus to change my heart like we changed this radiator. I need His "fluid" (the Holy Spirit) to flow through me like Prestone flows through this radiator. I need Him, His Word and His Spirit more than you'd ever know.

I'm very good at concealing the corrosion inside my heart. Fortunately, God sees it all and He lovingly and graciously reveals my true condition to me and allows me to confess and repent. He alone can make me new.

The car is working properly again, and so am I. I'm growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and pray that in the future I'll respond differently when He brings these opportunities into my life. I am grateful for His love, and the trust and friendship of Jason and his wife. They've no idea how much joy I receive in providing what little service I can give.

Be sure to come back often to read of my ongoing sanctification saga.