Should Advent be more about the 2nd coming than the 1st?

I had an interesting thought this morning as I read an article about advent on the Relevant Magazine website http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/deeper-walk/features/19167-the-final-countdown. 

 

Should Christians get more excited during Advent and Christmas about the second coming of Christ than the First?  I mean, I love to think about the first coming of Christ, the Creator of the world becoming a baby, the messiah's birth, the first worship services, etc, but that is history.  As a follower of Christ, shouldn't my hope and life be more tied to the future than the past? I can learn from the past, but I'm living for the future.  So maybe I should focus more on the second coming than the first during Christmas.  I wonder how things would change if we started that shift?  I mean do we even have a time in the year that we really celebrate or think about the return of the Messiah?  Maybe that is something we should do all the time or the rest of the time, other than Christmas and Easter, but it doesn't seem like many Christians think or talk about it much.

In a society that is scheduled by the next holiday, I think it interesting that we Christians join in on so many pagan or national holidays so much more than the important events of the Church.  The biggest event of all is yet to come, maybe that is why we don't celebrate it, but is certainly something to get excited about (and ready for).

Every year I ask God to show me something new about Christmas, so this year I'm focusing on the Second Advent - waiting in expectation for the return of the Messiah and the start of a whole new time and society.  Of course this quickly reminds me that I need to share this hope and expectation with those who don't know or have it yet so that they will experience it too.    This Christmas may we share the love of our God, that came as a baby, died as our Savior, and will Return again as the King of the ages.

On a side note, my kids are really enjoying a lego advent calendar this year where one kids gets to open a little door each morning and gets a little lego person or thing.  It really helps count down the days till Christmas, just wish we could count down the days till the second coming.  I guess thats the beauty of it.  We don't know when so we need to think like it is today and/or in 100's of years.

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Oswald's Wisdom

Q:? What is the difference b/t "interfering in other people's lives" and being the hand and feet of Christ? After reading the following devo. from Oswald Chambers, i would love to hear your comments on the balance you find b/t interfering and serving others.

"Lord, what shall this man do? . . What is that to thee(you)? Follow thou Me." John 21:21,2

One of our severest lessons comes from the stubborn refusal to see that we must not interfere in other people's lives. It takes a long time to realize the danger of being an amateur providence, that is, interfering with God's order for others.

You see a certain person suffering, and you say - He shall not suffer, and I will see that he does not. You put your hand straight in front of God's permissive will to prevent it, and God says - "What is that to thee(you)?" If there is stagnation(for you) spiritually, never allow it to go on, but get into God's presence and find out the reason for it. Possibly you will find it is because you have been interfering in the life of another; proposing things you had no right to propose; advising when you had no right to advise. When you do have to give advice to another, God will advise through you with the direct understanding of His Spirit; your part is to be so rightly related to God that His discernment comes through you all the time for the blessing of another soul.

Most of us live on the borders of consciousness - consciously serving, consciously devoted to God. All this is immature, it is not the real life yet. The mature stage is the life of a child which is never conscious; we become so abandoned to God that the consciousness of being used never enters in. When we are consciously being used as broken bread and poured-out wine, there is another stage to be reached, where all consciousness of ourselves and of what God is doing through us is eliminated. A saint is never consciously a saint; a saint is consciously dependent on God.

What are your thoughts?

Cooperation

November! The Holidays Begin! I love this time of year. The weather is still warm enough to enjoy outdoor time while the wind blows in the anticipation of Winter.

For our virtue study this month November is the month of Cooperation. We will have ample opportunity to study and put this virtue into practice as we rake and move leaves, continue the various house projects and prepare and welcome friends and family for the Thanksgiving Holidays.

We are also pleased to announce that Matt has accepted a position at Liberty Cumberland Presbyterian Church, here in McMinnville, Tn. as Christian Education Associate.

How do You Celebrate Halloween?

B.B.4.B. is Barrel Burnings For Bibles

Recently in the news, a pastor and church advertised it was having an event on Halloween Night and Burning Bibles and other important Christian Lit. just b/c they didn't think it was "of God".
We here at MMerge Ministries were "inspired by God" to counteract this event by holding an alternative Halloween burning of all your extra, unneeded and unnecessary stuff, that is a hindrance to you and your walk with God. This could be anything and everything depending on how you look, read and interpret this....a magazine, movie, music, clothes, or simply some things that bother, hurt or haunt you that you want to write down and throw in the fire and put in the past...could even be character issues or habits you struggle with.

Who: YOU, Come to burn or to fellowship :)
Where: 138 Club Dr. Mc Minnville
When: Meal starts at 6pm
What: We'll burn all night if we have to!
Pinata for the kids! Costumes welcome or come as you are. This is a FREE event, no cost, no donations required. Donations or proceeds(if given) will go to translating and distributing bibles to those in lands/places that may have never received the Word of God in their language. This probably won't be in KJV so if you have an issue with that, buy a KJV and ship it!

We have personally attended these type of events a couple of times in our lives. It was an opportunity for us as we were growing spiritually to rid our lives of some junk that didn't need to be there. At one time i remember doing away with certain cds, books, movies, magazines, immodest or inappropriate clothing. At other times it was an opportunity to write down issues that were holding us back. Emotional, physical, mental or spiritual issues that we knew we were struggling with and needed victory over. We would write those down, anonymously, pray and claim victory over those and put the papers into the fire. Symbolic yet memorable ways to show and remember a time or commitment of getting rid of unhealthiness and growing toward a more Christ-like life.

However, we also want to take the time to celebrate, fellowship and have fun together on Sat. night. There will be Chili and dogs, drinks and goodies. Fun and games for the kids.

How Low Can You Go? Did you hear about the VMA's?

Every year MTV makes the news for something at the VMA's.  There is a great Youth Ministry site that reviews them and gives some good thoughts as it applies to Family, Youth, and society.  If you have kids they have heard about it already.  If you don't know what is going on, you need to.  Read the article and be willing and ready to engage with the upcoming generation.

http://www.thesource4ym.com/youthculturewindow/article.asp?id=93

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NASA - Hubble ERO Images

NASA - Hubble ERO Images

Shared via AddThis

Amazing pictures from Hubble

September: WISDOM, who doesn't need a little more of that!?!

A new month and that means a new virtue for us here at the Jackson house.

WISDOM: Finding out what YOU should do and DOING it.

"wisdom is learned and growing when you find out what you should do (with help from God others) AND act wisely too!" -J.J.

Our verse to memorize, copy, live, breath, succeed, fail at and discuss the month is:
"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowlege him, and he will make your paths straight." Prov. 3:5-6
.....the memorization of this vs. for us will be easy, it's the rest that complicates things :)

Our prayer is that we are and you will be WISER and more FULL of WISDOM at the end of the month. The only way to try and succeed is PRACTICE, the keys: CONSISTENT PRACTICE and getting back up when we fail.

less wise than i wish i was,
Myra

September 2009

The Summer Newsletter has just gone out! If you did not recieve it and would like to, subscribe on the right side of the page to recieve our FREE news. If you are subscribed and did not recieve it, please let us know. Many of you have changed email addresses but we do not have your new email address, pls. update us!

Summer News 2009: Amazing LOVE!
Subscribe to read more.

Enjoy Parenting

THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove
 
       The Attraction Parenting PATH Program is
       guaranteed to reduce parental STRESS and increase
       parental JOY significantly within 30 days!  See...
       http://www.enjoyparenting.com/path/info

:: Unconditional Presence: The Oak Tree ::

Imagine a great Oak Tree. It knows where it stands,
and it holds powerfully to its position. But it
doesn't defend its position -- it's simply *there*.

You can drive a car into the massive trunk of the
Oak Tree, and the car will be smashed while the tree
remains standing. It's not standing *against* you, and
it doesn't take your destructive behavior personally.
It just remains rooted... focused... present.
Unconditionally.

Now imagine that *you* are the Oak Tree... How does it
feel to be so powerfully positioned? Isn't it nice to
know that no one can uproot you? Would you even bother
to resist? Or would you simply relax and enjoy being
right where you want to be?

Next time you feel "uprooted" by your child's
behavior, emotions, or any other conditions, remember
the unconditional presence of the Oak Tree. Stand
rooted in the ground of infinite Well-Being.

There is nothing to resist... All is well.

http://dailygroove.net/oak-tree

      Get "The Daily Groove" BOOK!
      http://www.enjoyparenting.com/book

Feel free to forward this message to your friends!
(Please include this paragraph and everything above.)
Copyright (c) 2009 by Scott Noelle

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Good thoughts from a friend

A friend of mine puts out some inspirational thoughts called Soul Food.  They are really good.  I thought I'd share them with you and encourage you to sign up at his website.

 

 

Soul Food: Down Home Morsels for the Hungry Soul
 
He who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.—1 Corinthians 6:17
 
We must realize that we start with facts and not with feelings.  The fact is, because
Christ’s Spirit and my spirit are one spirit, I am already intimate with Christ and
Christ is already intimate with me.  We must learn to respond properly to that
positional fact so that our practice mirrors our position. In light of the fact of our
position in Christ we don’t need to wake up this morning and say, “I’m going to
try to be intimate with Christ today,” but “I am already intimate with Christ today,
and by moment-by-moment acts of faith I’ll practice that reality.  I’ll live and act
each moment like it is true.”—Chip Kirk
 
Fifteen pounds per inch of air pressure are now pressing on my body.  I do not feel
that pressure nor do I have to work up the faith to believe that there are 15 pounds
per inch of air pressure so that I can breathe.  I could try to hold my breath until I
felt that pressure, but that would be both ridiculous and futile.  So, I simply breathe. 
Moment-by-moment I practice the presence of air as a matter of fact, and I breathe
and, subsequently, experience life.—Chip Kirk
 
Soul Food is a side dish of www.chipkirk.com

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August Virtue : LOVE

Choosing to Give Someone Your Time and Friendship No Matter What!

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is th first commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Matthew 22:37-39

This is the virtue and verse that we will be practicing, memorizing and studying this month. What does this virtue and verse mean to you?

Join us in making August LOVE month!

Wellness Tips

McMinnville Parks and Recreation August 2009 Community Wellness Tip & Activities

ReminderWellness Tip:
Realize that anything worth doing is worth doing badly. Challenge and novelty are key elements of happiness. The brain is stimulated by surprise, and successfully dealing with an unexpected situation gives a powerful sense of satisfaction. People who do new things -- learn a game, travel to unfamiliar places -- are happier than people who stick to familiar activities that they already do well. "Enjoy the fun of failure" and tackle some daunting goal.

Activities Reminder:
Smokin in McMinnville- August 14th and 15th at the McMinnville Civic Center. Come out and enjoy this fun filled activity!

McMinnville Triathlon- August 29th. Volunteers needed for this fun fitness event. Call the Civic Center at 931-473-1212.

Check out all of the activities with the McMinnville Parks andRecreation at www.mcminnvilletenn.com and follow the links to Parks and Recreation.
McMinnville Parks and Recreation500 Garfield St.McMinnville, TN37110

A GREAT DAY!

Download now or watch on posterous

09 aug 2 baptisms.wmv (19521 KB)

Today I, Matt, had the awesome opportunity to baptize a friend, my nephew and two of my sons.  It is so amazing that in the middle of my wondering what in the world God is doing with me, he does things I would never have expected.  I was visiting with Thomas yesterday and talking about how he is starting over in life and been through so much and he said to me "is there any reason I shouldn't get baptized?"  I told him the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-40) and how he asked the same question.  We decided to do it today.  I went home and told our family and the three Wyatt cousins that are visiting.  I asked if any of them wanted to be baptized and John-Cole said he wanted to too.  Johnathan, our youngest has said he wanted to everytime I have asked since he was little, but he is six now and after some talk we decided he really wants this for the right reasons.  James also came this morning and said he wanted to as well.  So this morning Thomas went to Christ Family Church and invited them and we met them out there after our family worship time.  It was a great day.  May God continue to surprise us and be the center of our lives!

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Happy 4th of July

Enjoy the 4th of July with MMerge Ministries!!!

If you live in or around McMinnville, You are invited to come enjoy the City Fireworks with us. Now that we live right across the street from the Civic Center we have some of the best seats in town for the show. Bring your Lawn Chairs or blankets, we'll have the drinks (Water, Lemonade, and Coffee) ready.

Matt and Myra Jackson

138 Club Dr, McMinnville

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McMinnville Soccer Camp

Hey everyone with kids in McMinnville, I will be coaching a Soccer camp next week at Pistole park for kids ages 4-12, Tuesday through Friday!!!  June 9th - 12th!!

 

This will be done during McPOW which is a local youth ministry mission week so I will have youth from area churches helping lead the camp.

 

The cost is only $10 and that includes lunch.  It will be from 10am - till 1pm.  call or email me if you have questions or to sign up.

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McMinnville Parks and Recreation-May Wellness Tip

May Wellness Tip

Find a Life PurposeFeed the spiritual side of you by finding something you're passionate about, something that makes you want to get up in the morning to do.
Try gardening, or volunteering at a local school or nursing home, or do something else that thrills you. It will keep you well, balanced and happy!

Get up wanting to see what your day brings you... or find another job or interest where you do! (Tip: Go to bed telling yourself that you'll wake up refreshed and ready have a great day!)

Check out the McMinnville Parks and Recreation website at http://www.mcminnvilletenn.com/ and follow the links to Parks and Recreation. We've got plenty of fun, affordable, family oriented activities to help you stay motivated!

Kristie Sanders, MS, MBA

Wellness Specialist

McMinnville Parks and Recreation

500 Garfield Street

McMinnville, TN 37110

931-473-1212

Get Fit McMinnville !!

MMerge Services Expanded and Detailed List

MMerge Ministries Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organzation, serving Warren Co. Tn and beyond.

Services include:

• Consulations for you and your family
• Behavioral Consulting(see a behavior you don't like in your child or spouse? Ask us about it! We'll do what we can to help build better habits in you and the ones you love!)
• Applied Behavioral Analysis Services(on consulting basis only...includes I.E.P.)
• Developmental Disability Specialilst
• Motivational Speaking
• Financial Analysis for your personal or business affairs
• Mentor, Mediation and discipleship
• Worship/Song leadingScriptual
• TeachingHealth and Nutrition counseling
• Home School counsel and instruction
• P.R. work in helping to get your business on the cutting edge
• TutoringSoccer instruction(as time allows) private lessons
• Practical Living Skills

And coming soon!!! FREE WIFI and Coffeehouse!!!
138 Club DriveMcMinnville, Tn 37110
or call for more info. 931-273-5797
to donate to MMerge Ministries, Inc. go to the donate button on this site. Thank you for your support.

Mother's Day May 10th

Mother's Day is FAST approaching....have you thought about how you will honor your mom this year? What about that special woman who has impacted your life in some way? Well we have the Perfect gift for you and very affordable, hand made with loving care. A gift that will bring a smile that means a thousand words of affection!

Hand Made Jewelry for under $5.00

138 Club Drive

McMinnville, Tn 37110

come by to view or purchase

call 931-273-5802 to place an order

or pay by PayPal on this site

ChrisCross by Charlie Glendining

A New Perspective This Easter
I am on a constant search for fresh/new perspectives on recurrent Holidays. I don't like to get stale. Well i read this on a friends blog.

Here we are... the darkness before the dawn. Ever since our men were boys we've been making a cross out of the Christmas tree we saved all winter. I just did it half an hour ago. The smell of the evergreen as I lopped off the branches put me right back in the living room during the weeks before Christmas. What a violence to do to such a wonderful memory! Maybe Mary felt that way at the cross to see the tender little feet of her son that she used to kiss while He slept now violently nailed to the cross. We lose sight... no... actually never CAN really understand His innocence.

Coming through Lent and entering into Easter is a paradox. This balancing act between the joy of Christ's nativity and the despair of His passion is to try to reconcile both Alpha and Omega. It is an irony that electrifies the brain: like grabbing both the positive and negative poles of a battery at the same time. But ONLY through embracing both His birth and His death and resurrection simultaneously, can we see that all events of our lives—both good and bad—show us the completeness of who Christ wants to become in each of us.

Denying or rejecting the bad and seeking only the good is a desperate yearning forsomething that isn't real. Just as God never gives His Spirit in part, when we seek Him in part—only in the good times—we create a partial void in our spirit and actually deny the complete Christ... at least the whole of who He wants to become in us. In other words, by claiming only the good things to be of God, that partial emptiness becomes a kind of poison that masquerades as virtue. Those bad things, then become a way WE can suffer for a God Who isn't all-powerful.What a denial of His complete omniscience! If He is the God of good things, then He must also be the God of bad. He orchestrates ALL THINGS. This is surely disturbing and comforting at the same time: this restless peace we experience when we realize that God is in complete control—even, and ESPECIALLY in the midst of our suffering.

Ten years ago, I read the heart rending story about Corey Anderson, the nine-year-old boy who, on February 25, 1999, died in a blizzard while looking for his dog. The immediate similarity between his selfless act and Christ's shedding the comforts of heaven to walk into our world, actually into the very the jaws of hell to find us, was even more striking when I found out that Corey walked out his front door into a blinding snow storm on a Thursday night—his Gethsemani—and they discovered his body in a thicket 200 yards from his homeon Sunday. Three days and three nights: Christ's suffering from Gethsemani to the resurrection and Jonah's suffering the terrors in the belly of a whale.

But the most striking revelation was an aspect rarely considered when we look at the body of a grown man suffering on a cross. It's hard to fully comprehend Christ's innocence because of our own sinful paradigm. We see, fastened to this cross, an adult. He can deal with it. He's tough. He's a man. He's powerful. Omnipotent. He's God.

But Corey's death makes us ache for the death of a child—the very death of innocence. If it is easier to grieve the death of this nine-year-old boy, how much more innocent was Jesus when He died for us, and how can we really understand the true impact of His death unless we continually mix the images of Christmas and Easter?

What if we were to visualize the unthinkable image of of a crucified baby? Too unthinkable to even mention?...maybe then we are on the right track.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A RESTLESS PEACE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For He made Him Who knew no sin TO BE sin for us..." - 2 COR. 5:21

It is a God-like grace that seeks the lost in sacrifice;
That fords the sill and walks into the silent teeth.
Blinded, not by fear but by a perfect love for the beloved,
His courage found its sticking place and ours, a silent grief.

What child is this who laid to rest in such a manger bed?
How desperate, this, a brush of bitter myrrh his womb?
What awful grace of Christ is this: to die in innocence,
And sleep, thou infant life, in this cold thicket tomb?

Three days, three nights did torment's pale and bloodless choirQuench hope inside the belly of Gethsemani.But hope it was that wrapped my guilt in swadling clothes,His shroud—my womb—a safety born of agony.Now, here in Lent, the balance of the manger and the grave,Our hearts contain a restless peace to gain His loss.We grieve the rage of sin that smote His upturned baby's face;That plucked Him from His Mother's breast,To nail Him to His Father's cros

Where are we going?

Honestly, until this week I have felt like we didn't know what would happen next, but now at least it seems that God has supplied for me to stay in the insurance business. That allows us to walk forward with the idea of staying here in McMinnville, possibly buying the house we are in, considering what ministry we can do through our location and more. God is leading and we are trying to follow. We watched a DVD with some friends this past monday that really spoke to me about approaching each day with openness to whatever God wants to do. This is so often said, but hardly practiced. That is what it seems God is teaching me. I trust that he will take us where we need to go. Please pray with us about where we are going with our ministry.

What a week!

Well this was my last week of "Validation" in the insurance business.  I will find out next Wednesday officially if I made it, but I'm pretty sure I did thanks to some friends and a move of God.  On Tuesday I was still way behind and was shown the numbers by my boss.  He said "it would take a miracle."  Well, It was great to see it all come together and to continue to watch God supply in many ways.  I some much more giving God the glory for it all than anything for me.  This week was clearly Gods work not mine.

It did however come down to the last day, and as I was out running around getting forms signed and making sure I had done all I could do, there was a big storm blowing through.  This seemed fitting, that something would try to keep it from happening, but It would work out anyway. 

Here is a picture from when I went out to my Friend Craig's house after the storm to get one final paper signed.  The pole sticking out of the ground and other poles laying further down and the first of many pieces of their trampoline that was anchored down, but fell victim to the winds of the storm. 

 

We also had my sister Hannah and her Husband Daniel visiting this past week.  Unfortunately, when Daniel arrived he was sick and after a visit to our great Doc.  we found out he has Mono, so while he re-cooperated, I sold insurance, the boys started their baseball seasons, and life kept on going with the usual amounts of stress, love, excitement, and more. 

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone has a great Resurrection Sunday. 

What a challenge to separate the pagan from the religious, from the real meaning of this weekend!  It has been better for us to not have to worry so much about the religous and to instead enjoy the relationships God has given us.  May the Lord of Life reveal his power to us all, whether it be in a church service, a conversation, a storm, or a any other way He desires.  Just don't miss it!

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Was Good Friday Really "Good"

embedding was disabled so i couldn't post the video here but go watch this today in honor of the One we should cry out to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOb8ihacSM4

It's difficult for me to "celebrate, Good Friday" as good. Good things are usually a lot of fun for me and i usually don't have a problem "celebrating" things. However, every year as Good Friday approaches, I balk. I must take rememberance of in order to grasp and look at Good Friday.

Title: Apportioned Limitations
Author: Elisabeth Elliot

The God who determined the measurements of the foundations of the earth sets limitations to the scope of our work. And His SON's work. It is always tempting to measure ourselves by one another, but this easily leads to boasting or despair. It is our business to find the sphere of service allotted to us, and do all that He has appointed us to do within that sphere, not "commending ourselves."

Paul said, "We will keep to the limits God has apportioned us" (2 Cor 10:13 RSV). Today, on Good Friday, the day Jesus was captured, tortured and began his sentencing leading to his death, it's hard to see "limits". He pretty much gave all, willingly. But Jesus did that(he did keep to the limits God had apportioned him)--willing to become a helpless, newborn baby, to be a growing child, an adolescent, a man, each stage bounded by its peculiar strictures, yet each offering adequate scope in which to glorify his Father. And He went to the furthest limit apportioned, being tortured and sacrificed and crucified for us!
Lord, glorify yourself through me and in the place You've set me. Let me not covet another's place or work or glory. from www.elizabetheliott.org/devotional
italics mine.

Do You Taste Like Chocolate

This made me laugh and smile inside and out, all at the same time! Good morning and Enjoy! Go out today and "Let Your Light Shine"!

For Those Who Suffer Great Losses

Here's an exerpt from a devotion i read: http://www.elisabethelliot.org/devotional.html

If resurrection is a fact--and there would be no Easter if it were not--then there is no situation so hopeless, no horizon so black, that God cannot there "find His glory." The truth is that without those ruined hopes, without that death, without the suffering that He called inevitable, the glory itself would be impossible. Why the universe is so arranged we must leave to the One who arranged it, but that it is so we are bound to believe.

And when we find ourselves most hopeless, the road most taxing, we may also find that it is then that the Risen Christ catches up to us on the way, better than our dreams, beyond all our hopes. For it is He--not His gifts, not His power, not what He can do for us, but He Himself--who comes and makes Himself known to us. And this is the one pure joy for those who sorrow.

And yet... and yet we sorrow. The glorious fact of the resurrection is the very heart of our faith. We believe it. We bank all our hopes on it. And yet we sorrow. It is still appointed unto man once to die, and those who are left must grieve--not as those without hope, for the beloved will be resurrected. The "ultimate contradiction," however, seems very far in the future. There is no incongruity in the human tears and the pure joy of the presence of Christ, for He wept human tears too.

a note E.E. wrote to a friend who had just lost a child.
"Your little note was waiting for us when we returned yesterday from Canada. How our hearts went running to you, weeping with you, wishing we could see your faces and tell you our sympathies. Yet it is 'no strange thing' that has happened to you, as Peter said in his epistle (1 Peter 4:12) it gives you a share in Christ's suffering. To me this is one of the deepest but most comforting of all the mysteries of suffering. Not only does He enter into grief in the fullest understanding, suffer with us and for us, but in the very depths of sorrow He allows us, in His mercy, to enter into His; gives us a share, permits us the high privilege of 'filling up, that which is lacking (Colossians 1:24) in His own. He makes, in other words, something redemptive out of our broken hearts, if those hearts are offered up to Him. We are told that He will never despise a broken heart. It is an acceptable sacrifice when offered wholly to Him for His transfiguration. Oh, there is so much for us to learn here, but it will not be learned in a day or a week. Level after level must be plumbed as we walk with the Shepherd, and He will do His purifying, purging, forging, shaping work in us, that we may be shaped to the image of Christ himself. Such shaping takes a hammer, a chisel, and a file--painful tools, a painful process.

"Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered, not by the things which He enjoyed. In order to fit you both for His purposes both here and in eternity, He has lent you this sorrow. But He bears the heavier end of the Cross laid upon you!

I'm thankful this morning that LIFE can be given to dead things!

The Un-church part 1

Did any of you ever play The UnGame? 

I remember playing it as a kid.  Its a game that really isn't a game, but rather a way to ask people random questions and get to know each other. 

 

So my friend Will and I have been talking about all these people we know that desire to follow Christ, but are not going to church.  We even want to get some of these people together and I think he called them Unchurch people.  I thought that was funny at first, cause when I was "in the church" I always thought of the "unchurched" people as "lost" people.  I never considered that there where unchurched people (people not in church) that were Christians.  Now I realize there are a lot of us.

 

I read a blog at http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2009/03/we_hate_church.html about a church that is trying to use a billboard to reach out to the "unchurched" people and it got me thinking again.  I want to start thinking out loud and anyone that wants to join it is welcome.

 

How do we be the church without becoming like all the institutionalized religious organizations that call themselves the church??????

 

I personnally love the people of God, following Christ and want to share the grace of God with others (Chistian or not), but don't want to be a part of a church right now.  There are some major problems in the church and I have been a part of them.  I call it "the professionalization of the church."  There has got to be a way to be the church without becoming another religious meeting.  I think it would look a lot more like it did in Acts (meeting together, living together, growing together).  I also think there is even a way to be a paid minister in this situation without being the paid professional that takes the place of everyone else to do ministry. 

 

So many thoughts on my mind on this topic.  Join the discussion and we'll see where it goes.

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Blah....

To seek a place of rest

to grasp for hope or glory

this is the daily task

I fight or avoid again

I'm glad and thankful mostly

but missing something still

content but wanting more

"La Vie Est Dure"

Peace, patience, strength and grace needed today!

50 Million Killed in 36 years

WOW! That's a lot of babies......this letter/article came through my inbox today and though it is all too lengthy to share here, this part i found worth sharing.

The Roe(in roe vs. wade case) Justices.....didn't anticipate "the policy imposed by the Court to be an unmitigated disaster. In the thirty-six years since Roe and Doe, abortion has taken the lives of more than fifty million unborn victims--each a distinct, unique, precious human being. It has done immeasurable moral, psychological, and sometimes physical harm to women who are so very often, and in so many respects, truly abortion's "secondary victims."
It has corrupted physicians and nurses by turning healers into killers. It has undermined the moral authority of the law by its injustice. It has abetted irresponsible--even predatory--male sexual behavior. Far from reducing the rate of out-of-wedlock births, particularly to poor women, illegitimacy has skyrocketed in the age of abortion. Now the abortion license has metastasized into widespread elite support for deadly embryo experimentation and even, in my home state of New Jersey, to the express legalization of the horrific and grisly practice of fetal farming--the creation of human beings by cloning or other processes for the purpose of harvesting their tissues and organs at any point up to birth for experimentation and transplantation."

Of course, from the pro-life vantage point, success on the judicial front is only the prelude to the larger political struggle over abortion. If Roe is reversed, the result will be to return the matter to the domain of ordinary democratic deliberation for resolution by the state legislatures or the Congress. The burden will then be on the pro-life movement to win the struggle for the soul of the nation. We must, with God's help, persuade our fellow citizens to fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence by bringing the unborn fully within the protection of our laws.

On this score, we have a marvelous model in the great anti-slavery crusader William Wilberforce. When he began his work against the monstrous evil of chattel slavery, the odds appeared to be long against abolition. He was attacked by partisans of the slave power as a zealot, a religious fanatic and, most perversely, an enemy of freedom. He was, they said, imposing his religious values on others. If he didn't like slavery, well, no one was forcing him to own slaves. He should mind his own business and stay out of other people's affairs. Less vitriolic critics said that he was unrealistic. He was a dreamer. He was making impossible demands. Does any of this sound familiar?

Wilberforce refused to be intimidated. He would allow nothing to deter him from his mission of Christian charity to free the slaves and end the practice of slavery. He was undaunted by the ridicule often heaped upon him.

A more recent hero, Mother Teresa of Calcutta reminded us during her final visit to the United States that prayer is the most powerful weapon in the pro-life arsenal. Wilberforce would certainly agree. We must ask God's forgiveness for our great national sin of abandoning the unborn to the crime of abortion and implore His guidance and assistance in recalling the nation to its founding ideals of liberty and justice for all. While not all pro-life citizens are in a position to be activists or exercise leadership in the social and political spheres, all are able to participate in the prayer effort, and no one's prayers are superfluous."

*thoughts from Dr. James Dobson in his newsletter and thoughts shared from Professor Robert P. George. Professor George is McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. He is a member of the President's Council on Bioethics and previously served on the United States Commission on Civil Rights. He also sits on the editorial board of Public Discourse.

things that make me go "hummmmmmmmmm". what do you think?

An Opportunity You Might not Want to Miss......

Hundreds of Fathers and Daughters Will Gather This March in Georgia on
Friday, February 20, 2009 10:15 AM
From: "Vision Forum" familyvision@lists.visionforum.com(to see full graphics and ad.)

Father and Daughter Retreat — Limited Space Available!

Join Dr. Voddie Baucham, Doug Phillips, Scott Brown, Geoff Botkin and a Panel of Visionary Young Ladies for the Father and Daughter Event of the Year!

The average father in America spends less than ten minutes a day with his daughter. He knows little about her life or her heart. He can quote detailed sports statistics and daily gas prices, but he has little or nothing to say of eternal value to his little girl when the two of them are alone — which is almost never. Is it any wonder that the average daughter is emotionally and spiritually disconnected from her father? She invests her own time in the pursuit of fantasy, peers, boys — anything that will fill the gaping hole created by the absence of godly, fatherly manhood in her life.

This father-daughter deficit has helped to place our nation in a cultural depression so great that we are suffering from the most significant family crisis in the history of our country. But that is only half the story.

Here is the other half: Christian families are in the business of defying popular trends and statistics. Spurred on by the Scripture’s discipleship directives, more and more fathers are setting aside the distractions of the world and are pursuing their daughters’ hearts. And when God turns the hearts of fathers to their daughters and daughters to their fathers, He is “mak[ing] ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).

where & when:
That is why hundreds of fathers and daughters will be coming to the world-famous Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia, March 27-29 for the 2009 Vision Forum Ministries Father and Daughter Retreat.

A Time of Celebration
The Father and Daughter Retreat is a time of learning and fellowship, but it is also a time for celebration. Fathers and daughters can enjoy the world famous Callaway Butterfly Gardens; they will have time to enjoy long, meaningful walks; and, and they will participate in our Father and Daughter event Games.

A favorite part of this celebration has always been our signature “high tea.” Fathers and Daughters come dressed in their best as they enjoy a beautifully catered event, complete with assorted fine English teas, scones, tarts, cucumber sandwiches, and pastries. Each attendee is given their very own porcelain teacup to take home as a memento of this special occasion.

‘What He Must Be... If He Wants to Marry My Daughter’
This is the title of Dr. Voddie Baucham’s new book from which he will be drawing his messages at this year’s retreat. He is joined by Doug Phillips, Geoff Botkin and Scott Brown for the most powerful line-up of messages in the history of this event. Young ladies in attendance at this year’s retreat will also hear the testimonies of visionary daughters: Jasmine Baucham, as well as Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin (authors of So Much More, and hosts of The Return of the Daughters).

Fundamental questions will be addressed:

Register Now — Space is Limited!

© 2009 Vision Forum Ministries, 4719 Blanco Road, San Antonio, Texas 78212. All Rights Reserved.

MMerge Inc. is NOW on FACEBOOK, friend us!!

Friend us on Facebook and join the MMerge Ministries, Inc. Group. We'll still post here to the blog for those of you that aren't on facebook, however, we are finding that facebook is a very effective and vastly used tool for networking and ministry!

Also, the 25 Random things about you note has circulated around the WORLD and my inbox enough times that i finally took some time to respond. I won't paste the entire note here...you can find that on facebook by friending Myra Micah Periwinkle Johnson Jackson but here's a taste of my randomness:

(copied from my facebook notes page)
ok, here it is.......
1. I like to brush my teeth in the shower, it's warmer
2. I'm greedy but for more kids than the general public accepts as "normal" :)
3. I like everything SEE THRU, except clothes of course, that shows that yes i am paranoid and modest and want you to be too :) modest that is...
4. I am more random than your averag JOE or JESSE in my case and yes that is a name i wantd to use for our fourth child but couldn't b/c Jesse Jackson just would NOT have worked for her or me. one of the sweetest youth girls i know is a Jesse, I wished i could have named Rebekah after her.
5. My next children's names WILL be Jeremiah and Joanna Jackson, twins from Africa, i hope, pray and am trusting the Lord for this one!!! Miracles do happen and stranger things than this have already, in our lives.
6. I want one child from EVERY continent and a penguin from Antartica.....no money to do it but i BELIEVE and have EXPERIENCED, YAWEH(God) always have, always will and always continues to provide for me and my family and my friends and all those who are loved and called according to HIS purposes.
7. I think faster than a speeding bullet, people tell me, and act faster than others usually want to, most of the time. it drives my husband, dad and most of my family crazy!!!
8. And when people don't think, act, listen or operate on my time table I tend to get alittle.......lets say.....UPSET???? IRRITATED????? HIGHLY ANNOYED at times????? IMPATIENT????? UGLY????? BRATTY acting??? did i cover it all folks that know me well?
9. *edited*, actually deleted
10. I must have IRISH SPRING bar soap in the reg. flavor AND moisturizing body wash with sponge in the shower at ALL times or else it's just not that good but i'll survive trust me. i have to go DAYS w/o a shower sometimes and i've been on mission trips to a 3rd world country and other places i have survived to tell about w/o showering or brushing my teeth AND sleeping with the largest insect flying things I have EVER seen b4 in my life and yes those were in my bed when i woke up in the middle of the night. And YES, i freaked out!!! But not near as much as i have FRRREAKED out in the last year, trust me there too, it has been bad, that bad. Well worse i guess........
to be continued if you want it to be......

Enjoy your weekend folks and spend some good, quality time with your family, that doesn't include just going to "church" together for an hour on Sunday morning :) You have to "go the extra mile" if that is the case for you and yours and quality time. Adventure OUTDOORS/INDOORS together!!

OR....visit www.jellytelly.com today or this weekend with your pre-school- elementary aged kids, grandkids, nieces, newphews or your nieces and newphews friends :)

Divinely Led

It's pretty astonishing to me how many times i have been tagged with that 25 random things about me note on facebook. I really do want to respond b/c 2 of my friends responses have inspired me to but i can't put that ahead of some personal requests. It's funny isn't it? Ask someone to tell you 25 random things about THEMSELVES and they will respond pretty fast and send it ALL OVER THE WORLD. But ask someone to tell you one thing random about someone else or unique about someone they should know deeply and they have to "think on it for a few days". That's pretty backwards thinking/acting in my world. The world I live in puts personal relationships with others ahead of random antedotes about myself. I am not saying this to point fingers or judge but to say this........look up the TINY WOMAN w/ the GIANT LEGS, google her and you will be AMAZED!! She does NOT live in the world we live in. Well she does, she's lives in Europe but she is planets away from the kosher lives we WALK/RUN/talk through and take advantage of everyday.
This person is phenominial! Her UNIQUENESS is 1 of a KIND and each and everyone of us is just as unique. i don't know the exact % but i think around 60% of us if not more, i'm trying to be fair here, have a HARDER time finding it due to buried internal depths and hurts of our lives........i encourage us all after watching that life changing life story to DIG DEEP and DISCOVER....YOUR 1 of a kind UNIQUENESS and GIFT to us all. Your 1 cell difference than ANYONE else but MISTAKE? A MUTATE? NOT HIS FATE. HE made each on GREAT and HE makes NOT 1 MISTAKE.

LIVE ON! LIVE STRONG! LIVE YOU!!!!! THE YOU-NESS OF YOU IS FABULOUSLY TRUE!

Summer Proposal

Thank you all who have given your input and gotten involved to help! Here's what was proposed at the meeting last night.

Dear Major and Board of the city of McMinnville, Tn,

We, the citizens of McMinnville, Tn and surrounding counties would like to propose an addition to the purchase of the Gilley Pool passes this summer. We would like to request an additional option to be added to the Gilley Pool Summer Pool Passes. With this addition, we understand there will be added cost to the current cost of the Gilley Pool passes. We would like to propose an increase of somewhere within 75-85 dollars to be added on to the current price of this summers pool passes. We would like this price increase to include use of the whole Recreation Center, not just the outside facilities but the inside facilities as well. The gym, weight/workout-room, tennis court, raquet ball court, ping pong and other tables that are played on for games, inside walking areas, and upstairs areas for play. We would like to propose that when you acquire you pool pass, you may chose to pay for an individual pass/plan, family pass or deluxe individual/family package, which would include the "extra" inside benefits. Each of these categories or packages would be represented by a different color pass or different color stickers for identification and protection purposes, along with the picture i.d. on your pass.

The price increase for deluxe passes would not include extra rooms or "special" reservations/activities or events, that the Recreation Center puts on or requires special reservations or "extra" payments for. This proposal would in essence be a combination pass of what is already available for a civic center indoor 6 month pass and an already established pool pass. This proposal would be a new purchase price for a combination usage. With the exception of those that already have exsisting Civic Center indoor passes currently. Those patrons could be provided the opportunity to "add on" the "extra" to their currently held pass, possibly with a slight discount if they have been faithful members of any length of time. They could recieve their discount just like the rest of us by purchasing "early bird" specials with an added incentive for their already faithful membership deeming the county and economy can withstand "early bird specials" this year, understandly so, if not.

Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to a great summer of increased sales and usage for the city of McMinnville and our surrounding neighbors that also use our facilities regularly.

Other noted recommendations: an early morning swim lane during water aerobics time and to have special member "nights" druing the summer months the pool is open as an additional incentive for deluxe pass holders. Once the swimming season is over, those deluxe members can chose to remain as indoor 6 month Recreation Center members or cancel completely.


Signed,

Matt and Myra Jackson
Co-Directors
MMerge Ministries, Inc.
McMinnville, Tn 37110
931-273-5802 or
find us on the web. www.mmerge.blogspot.com for all your family resource needs.

I need/want your help, PLEASE, it could only take a sec!!

Way #1 you could help: if you haven't noticed or checked out www.jellytelly.com WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? ok i know, it's been a busy week but now IT'S THE WEEKEND!! make some time to relax, slow down and spend a few minutes with you kids watchin this great stuff, way BETTER than any Sat. morning cartoons my kids usually watch, take time to check it out before another Busy week starts and help me spread the word THANKS!

Way #2: Help me begin to make my dreams/goals start heading toward a reality. I have always wanted to write, i have always loved to write and i've always said that "one day i should write a book" well the research phase is beginning now. If you have known me or even just met me for any length of time you are who i want to help me!!! Please help me by completeing the following statement in the comment section.

i have known myra since __________(give a general date or amount of time) and she __________________________________________________________________. (no more than 7 sentences and all those that are from way back in the day, please keep it clean and appropriate, THANKS :)!!! You never know, one day 10 years from now your statements might be mentioned in my published LIFE STORY !!!

Thanks my FRIENDS, you FUEL me!!!
Myra

if you haven't friended us on facebook, please do!
Matt Jackson
Myra Micah Periwinkle Johnson Jackson

Another "Bit" on Jelly Telly

Who Doesn't Like a FREE gift?

www.jellytelly.com www.jellytelly.com
WOW! During the sometimes dull, cold and LONG winter months i am constantly looking for things to HELP and SPICE UP our homeschool rountine, well our life for that matter! It is around Jan/Feb. each year that we notice DRAG and Attitudes popping up in the Jackson Household due to all the "together time" and lack of time outdoors :)
CAN ANYONE OUT THERE RELATE???? Well if so and even if not, YOU HAVE GOT TO CHECK THIS OUT!
www.jellytelly.com and please spread the word! i know a number of you are tapped into vast networks of people that can help promote this and that would appreciate this resource as well. Anyone/everyone else out there please spread this link around to your friends, family, church leaders(children's/youth pastors), homeschool groups/friends,etc.

This is also a great homeschool resource!! We watched it this morning and all just laughed together infront of the computer screen and LEARNED ALOT TOO!!! we learned biblical truths and scientific facts and none of us even knew school could be this cool :)
so join us each week day as we learn and grow with these great biblical and educational videos. And theres fun games too! It is going to be FREE for the next two months, they have dropped the subscription cost inorder to promote more and recruit more users for the next several months.
www.jellytelly.com My kids look forward to getting up and seeing the next days videos. It's been a new fresh inspiring way to begin our day! And i hope you enjoy it to! I also have some invested interest in promoting this site.......The creator Phil Vischer is a friend of my sisters. Phil Vischer is the creator of Veggie Tales which has gotten bought out now and is being run by someone else. In order for Phil to continue making a living and using his God given talents to minister to kids he needs our support, even if it's just sending masses of people to use the site for free for the next several months! Phil and his family are inspiring followers of Christ, with an above average way of relating God given truths in biblical ways that make a lasting and eternal difference for all!
join me and others in supporting www.jellytelly.com
Thanks and enjoy! Have family time tonight and watch Thursdays videos they were great! Or have fun Friday tomorrow and watch them all :) There's even one for the weekend that you can watch sometime Sat. or Sun.

Blessings!

A New Year, a New Plan

Dear Friends,
To attempt to describe the last year or so of our lives is more than anyone of us wants to go into or read about :) and as For most of you, you have followed along closely enough to know that it has been a rocky, unsteady and uncertain road. A few things have cleared up in the last month but we are still trying to come out of the fog that has characterized our lives for many, many years. The fog of LIFE that characterizes and mars many. The same LIFE that also gives hope, grace, forgiveness, and second chances. To all of you in our lives that have reached out in our direction during this most difficult time, THANK YOU! The bits of encouragement, the senses of hope, the glimpses of grace, the meaningful smiles, pats on the back and intercession on our behalf, have been VITAL lifelines during a time of great pain and loss.

We are beginning to rebuild. After selling almost everything, giving the rest away, and coming up $5,000.00 of the $21,000.00 short, we decided in great heartache to abandon the full-time missionary plan with Operation Mobilization. We could have continued to fund raise four more months to make up the difference but due to the stress and strain of an already drained and dying situation and family life, we decided that was not the best plan. Embarrassed and feeling very humiliated we hesitantly contacted all of our gracious supporters, explained the situation and returned funds. Then we proceeded to work on a plan C, whatever that was and whatever that looked like we just couldn't be sure of at that point, but we HAD to get up each day and try to put one foot in front of the other and do the things we knew how to do. Matt began to look for jobs and i began to try to turn my attention back to the children and homeschooling.

Thankfully, at this point it is all still a blur. By the grace and divine intervention of a God that loves us more than we can grasp, Matt has a new job and a quickly progressing career as an insurance agent with American General, one of the biggest insurance companies in the country. This job and new direction has been a HUGE blessing, comfort and driving force for us in a world that has been crumbling faster than we can pick up the pieces. I sense that Matt is just as much of a God-send to them as we feel like they are to us!

Doing what I could under the circumstances, the kids are still growing, learning and thriving in an environment that has not really been conducive to those things. Again, a divine intervention from a God that parents, teaches and holds when we as earthly parents are unable to do so. I am continually AMAZED at the awesomeness of God when I observe or spend time interacting with my 5 INCREDIBLE children. I am blessed, not necessarily b/c of anything that i have done, not b/c of anything great that i possess but strictly b/c i love and serve and desire to please the most amazing FATHER, a FATHER i cannot even grasp at most of the time.

So Matt is working, Myra is @ home most of the time teaching and mothering and the boys are so glad it's INDOOR soccer season again. We are currently leasing a wonderful old place with lots of charm and character right in town. A very convenient location with lots of space and lots of potential. Lord willing we keep on keeping on here we'd like to buy sometime this summer. But again, it's still all such a blur,raw and very much still mold able plan C. It's just time we proceed in this LIFE of ours with GREAT CAUTION yet full of FAITH, HOPE and TRUST in the God who has not been at all surprised by the happenings that have cost us almost everything.

Matt stated a week or so ago that this has been the most difficult time of our lives and i would have to agree. Yet never were we out of His sight, His hand or His plan. He has allowed us to be tempted, sifted, shaken and crumbled but not yet destroyed. And by His grace and His great measure will we rise again and say "Blessed be the name of the Lord." He gives and takes away but my heart still will say "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Therefore now, there is no condemnation for those who love the Lord! We are once again trying to hold our heads high and live out loud a life that says, "Ye thou i walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil"! It might take us a few more weeks, months, maybe even a year or so but we will once again walk without shame, guilt or regret. We will once again be able to love and forgive b/c He first loved and forgave us.

We love you and are eternally thankful for the gift of relationships with you!

-The Jackson 7, still in Tn.

James 8, loves sports, math, history, geography, the great outdoors, animals, cooking pancakes for the family at least 2x a week and figuring things out!

Josiah 7, loves people, arts, food and being sensitive and creative.

Johnathan Paul 5, loves anything/everything his brothers love and anything he can beat his siblings at. He's strong and sure and deeply connected.

Rebekah 3, loves LIFE, animals, reading, drawing, dressing up and being as tough as the boys sometimes too.

Rachel 2, loves still being the baby and every one's attention b/c she is so!

The Price of Peace

Several posts back as Matt shared a bit of the struggles we have been facing, he asked for prayers for peace during our Holiday Season. Peaceful is not exactly how we would describe our Holiday Season, however, we feel peace growing and we appreciate your prayers and the experience of peace we sense that is coming along. There is always a price to pay for peace and though it hasn't been easy, hopefully after coming through all this alittle more, we will continue to say that the price(s) we have paid will have been worth it all. It brings peace to know that Matt has flown through the training process at his new job and has already made a sale! It brings peace to know that through his job he has been able to contact and touch base with so many that have touched our lives before. It brings peace to know that he is motivated and enjoying what he is doing each day and sees it as a gift from God and an opportunity to expand. It brings peace to be settling into a wonderful home and beginning to feel organized again. I won't go into all the things that still don't promote peace in our lives and that can/could counteract all the peace I mentioned above, we are just trying to focus on the "peaceful" things right now.

New Info.

Matt's Employer: AIG American General, McMinnville, Tn 37110

The Man to call for all your Life and Accident Insurance or Annuity Needs(personal or business affairs)

Our New Address:

138 Club Dr.

McMinnville, Tn 37110

our p.o. box is still being used as well

over the holidays we also moved my mom in with us...she now lives in the back of the house we are currently in. We are currently leasing the whole building and we moved to the front of the home and mom is in the 2.5 bedroom apt we were in previously. We continue to work on and define "boundaries for peace" :)

New Year, No Limits

Last night as we rung in the New Year alone yet all together we watched a show on ESPN entitled New Year, No Limits. We witnessed along with MILLIONS of others, a couple of guys defy limits. Defying the Odds is definately Challenging, Intense, Fearful, Freeing, Dangerous, Risky, Exhilerating, Expensive, Death Defying, A Push to the next new level and painful. YET WORTH IT ALL, i bet those guys and millions of others would say.
One young guy succeeded in a back flip with a truck and the other jumped a motorcycle 100ft. up in the air, landed ontop of a building and then jumped back down, with a broken hand I think but all in one piece non-the-less. These were some death defying, one of a kind/time tricks my friends!
We've also had some firsts occur recently in our lives and have felt a bit like we've defyed or defined the "odds" that we believe will lead us into a limitless future!



Remember, with God all things are Possible and there really are No Limits, for with Him who can be against us? We pray for you and yours a New Year with Death Defying Results!
Happy New Year 2009!!!




2009 Brings a new perspective to our lives. We are in a new place, a new time, a new home, a new focus, direction and Matt has a new career. We have looked forward to burying 2008 and beginning 2009.