On Mother's Day I taught on the interesting relationship between being a mother and the spiritual war against Satan and the testimony of the church (Titus 2:4-5; 1 Tim 2:8-15; 5:9-16). There were two basic principles we discussed. The first, which is particularly despicable to our culture, is this: In general, God intends for women to be mothers. This is the assumption of Scripture, especially the passages in view. Excepted, of course, are those that God calls to be single and those who are not able to have children. The second principle is this: When women live out their role as mothers, they are less vulnerable to the attacks of Satan. There is also in this message a lengthy discussion on modesty from 1 Tim 2:9-10. You can listen to it in the audio player on the right side bar.
Important Moments
Nathaniel turns four.
Bethany's first piano recital.
Guy McDill (My Grandpa)
I recently received an e-mail from my Dad about his Dad. He died the same year I was born, so I never met him, but have heard so many great stories about him. We have always said that Grandpa and I greeted one another in 1973 as he was going up and I was coming down. Here is what Dad sent me: May 7 is the 100th birthday of Guy Vernon McDill. He was born in 1910 in Newton County Mississippi and died in 1973 and is buried in Beaumont. Attached are a few old pictures.
This is Guy and Ruby McDill in 1939
Guy, Ruby, and Wayne (my dad) on vacation.
This photo was taken in 1962 when Dad, Mom and Bob visited Blanchard, Louisiana at the birth of Michael (my oldest brother). Guy was 52 at the time.
Sunday Morning Pictures
I took these pictures of Bethany (almost 11) and Kathryn (2) last Sunday.
HCF Picnic
We had a great time last night picnicking at our house with our church. We ate, talked, and played basketball and Wiffle ball. Here are some pictures. You can see a few more in this album.
Ellie Casner and Hannah are buds (left)
In order below:
Here are the Wiffle ball teams together.
Christina, Anna, and Meredith
Kassie and Bethany
Kathryn and LeeAnne are buds.
Are You "In the Ministry"?
The American church has professionalized and glorified ministry. So much so that it is no longer seen as the responsibility of us regular believers. What does the Bible say about ministry? I have uploaded the next part in the series on Doing the Work of the Lord from 1 Corinthians 16:5-18. You can listen to it in the Teaching Audio player on the right side bar.
Our Chicks Are Here!
We had an exciting new addition to our home over the weekend: twenty-four new chicks. As I wrote before, we are going to raise chickens primarily for eggs. We ordered twenty-five Rhode Island Reds (one didn't survive the trip) from Welp Hatchery. We received a call on Friday morning from the post office informing us they had arrived. I could hear the chicks peeping in the background as I told him I would be there in a couple of hours to pick them up. I was surprised how small the box was that they came in:
Here I am opening the box to put them in their new, cozy home.
It didn't take them long to adjust.
The children immediately wanted to hold them. This one Caleb is holding was good enough to look at the camera and smile.
The Power of Discipline and Love
I just uploaded my teaching from Sunday at Highland Christian Fellowship. It is a continuation of the series from 1 Corinthians 16 on Doing the Work of the Lord. In it I share some of my most life changing moments in learning to be disciplined and learning to love. I also explain the vision and purpose of our fellowship. Listen to it in the Teaching Audio player on the right sidebar or here.