29March2016 15: Uncharted Territory

He's a groundbreaker.  Always has been. As our firstborn, J has had to endure the many mistakes of rookie parents.  We think he's done great.  Those rookie parents, not so great.  Today marks another first, more uncharted territory.  At 15:30, he turns 15.  J and his brother, Z, are dragging us, kicking and screaming, into the teenage years.  Thank God they are resilient.  Thank Him they have survived all this time.  Thank Him!
For his fifteenth, we are claiming the fifteenth Psalm over J's life:

O Lord, who shall sojourn in Your tent?
    Who shall dwell on Your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
    and speaks truth in his heart;

who does not slander with his tongue
    and does no evil to his neighbor,
    nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
    but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

who does not put out his money at interest
    and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.

Happy birthday J!  We love and are so proud of you!

28March2016 Quickthought: Simon

Jesus Collapses Under the Cross by Gustave Dore

"As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull)..." Matt.27:32

"They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross..." Mark 15:21

Maybe he was compelled, maybe Roman law didn't give him much choice but in the midst of Jesus' humiliation and agony, Simon blessed the Messiah.  We don't know much about this man.  We know he was from Cyrene (modern-day Libya).  We know he had at least two sons (Alexander and Rufus).  We know he was just passing by, wrong-place-wrong-time.  And we carried the cross of Jesus.  I love Simon for that!

Check out this song by Ray Boltz and this video from the Skit guys