Kathryn is two now. She is a beautiful little girl with a nice sense of humor when she warms up to you. In general, though, she is pretty happy on her own and shies away from too much attention. She making good progress in life: successful potty training, learning colors and numbers, and moving out of her crib.
We had a great time worshiping with Highland Christian Fellowship yesterday. God has been using us and helping us grow. We even doubled in size in 2010. God is putting together a strong, healthy body that I hope will do much effective work in building the kingdom. Yesterday I taught from Isaiah 9:1-7: When Christ Rules. I used a new presentation aid called Prezi. It is a creative new way to present text, images, and video during a speech (instead of Powerpoint). To see how it works and the main principles of the Isaiah 9 message, you can click through the presentation below.
Samantha (our seventh) is now six months old. She is quite "healthy" (as they say about non-skinny babies). She is very happy and loves to smile at anyone who looks at her. Her newest trick is that she is learning to sit up.
I'm happy to report that the aliens who captured me finally returned me to earth. They left an avatar that was identical to my body to function in my place, but my true self was not here. I requested the ability to blog while away, but was refused. It is good to be back. Here are a couple of pictures of our reunited family.
“Woe to you, O land, when your kind is a child,and your princes feast in the morning! Happy are you, O land, when your kind is the son of the nobility, And your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness.” Ecclesiastes 10:16-17
Here we find three important qualities of good leaders:
1. Experience – It is better to have leaders who are not young and inexperienced (“a child”) but who have the proper background for their responsibilities (“nobility”).
2. Wisdom in timing – Timing is critical in effective leadership. There is a “proper time” to do things.
3. Right motivation and purpose – A leader’s reason and purpose for doing what he does is important, even if a particular action is right. It is possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason (“for strength and not for drunkenness”).
"If the iron is blunt,and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom help one to succeed."
Ecclesiasts 10:10
Geese in Bass Lake, Blowing Rock; Fall 2010
"You, my God . . . are the most hidden from us and yet the most present amongst us, the most beautiful and yet the most strong, ever enduring and yet we cannot comprehend you. You are unchangeable and yet you change all things. You are never new, never old, and yet all things have new life from you. You are the unseen power that brings decline upon the proud. You are ever active, yet always at rest. You gather all things to yourself, though you suffer no need. . . . You grieve for wrong, but suffer no pain. You can be angry and serene. . . . You repay us what we deserve, and yet you owe nothing to any. . . . Can any man say enough when he speaks of you? Yet woe betide those who are silent about you!" - Augustine, Confessions, 1.4