Wednesday, June 30, 2004

God is good

I must share a story with you from yesterday. My parents are coming up to GR this weekend for the 4th of July. The apartment complex where Becca and I live also has guest suites so we figured my parents could crash there. I called yesterday and they are booked for the weekend. AHHH! I should have realised they would fill up soon because it is the holiday. So I started getting worried because I figured the situation would be the same at other area hotels.

I went and was talking to one of my co-workers to get some information and she asked why I needed it. Without even bating an eye she offered her mom's condo to my parent's for the weekend. Instantly a worry taken off my shoulders. I am so grateful for people whom the Lord has blessed and therefore are very willing to share with others.

God is good and tmsaisti...

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Tuesday thoughts

I must apologise to my blog friends for the sporasity of my entries of late. I know I have a very good excuse, but I feel bad that I am not contributing as much as Ameliou and Mitchell but that's okay.

I just read Mitchell's entry from yesterday and you must read it. Mitchell, we should try to meet at Schuler's so that you remove this thinking that you cannot find people at the bookstore. Becca and I love going to bookstores.

Nothing big to report from our world. I did call Supa K yesterday and it was good to talk with him for a bit. We are getting into a routine but have to get our apartment decorated. The blank walls have been getting to Becca since she moved in, however they are now starting to bother me. We graciously accept all artwork donations :=)

It looks like my parents will be coming up this weekend and will accompany us to Traverse City on Monday for the Cherry Festival. I have not been to the Festival in a couple of years. I hope to see some friends of mine that live in Petoskey who I have not seen since I was in Guatemala with them on a missions trip last November. So much has happened since then.

I think that's all for now. Have a great day!

Chris out

Saturday, June 26, 2004

WOW time flies

Becca and I have been married two weeks now. On the one hand it feels like the wedding was forever ago, however on the other hand it feels like we have not yet been married very long at all. This same principle applies to the honeymoon.

I think it is very important to have friends with 31' foot boats, particularly when you do not have your own. Last night Becca and I went to Grand Haven and went for a cruise with some people from our small group. It was fun to hang out with them for a bit and to show them some of the wedding pictures.

Today we're hanging out at Becca's parents house. I have a question for all my friends in blog land. Becca and I wore our wedding rings during the honeymoon including when we were in the pool. When we came back we noticed a spot in the channel of my ring that looked like rust. Now my ring is 10K white gold so I don't think it is rust, but where did this spot come from. Please feel free to share your thoughts on jewelry care. I am glad the jewelry store is going to take away this spot (especially since we did buy the extended warranty).

Well this is my "make up" blog entry. I have not been blogging as well as normal this week. Hopefully I'll do better next week.

Chris out

Monday, June 21, 2004

We're back

A very quick entry to say Becca & I are back and had a wonderful honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. I will be posting pictures as soon as I can so you can enjoy the experience as we did.

Thank you all for your prayers as Becca & I started our journey through life together.

Thursday, June 10, 2004

Enough Of Everything

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV)

Another thought from my devotions today. I was blessed by this particularly as I approach my wedding this weekend.

The writer of the devotional shares: "Randy, our first child, went off to kindergarten with a 10-cent coin in his pocket to buy a carton of milk to go with his lunch. When he came home that afternoon, his mother asked if he had purchased the milk. "No," he replied, bursting into tears. "The milk was 5 cents and I only had a dime."

Our God "owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the wealth in every mine" as the old song says. I don't know about you, but at times I find myself reluctant to trust God because I don't think there will be enough for my needs. More specifically, during these days of wedding preparation, it has been difficult to give God the trust and faith He deserves. Ironically, I have felt better worrying about something than trusting God fully. I think the reason I have wanted to worry is because I feel that I am more in control. The irony here is that when I feel like I am the most in control, I am probably the least.

Allow me to quote the devotional meditation again: "The apostle Paul was not saying that we have enough grace to do anything we want to do. God does not offer us a blank check. No, Paul was giving us the assurance that we have enough grace to do whatever God has called us to do..."

What a challenging and freeing thought for me today. God will provide. This causes me to want to praise Him more, but also challenges me to trust Him more everyday.

These are my thoughts for today. I appreciate all of you so much. Thanks for praying for Becca and I are we approach Saturday!

Chris out

Tuesday, June 08, 2004

Wedding week thoughts

Well it is wedding week and there is much to do, however I am excited for Saturday. There are not any big things left, just many little things left to do. I am looking forward to seeing many of my family and friends. I am also looking forward to seeing many friends from different seasons of my life there. However, if I had to be honest with myself, I must say I am really looking forward going to the Caribbean and lying on the beach with my wife.

Our photographer just returned from Greece and has posted many of their pictures on the web. Check them out here!

Not sure how many more blog entries there will be before we leave but stay tuned for many pictures of the wedding and the honeymoon when we return. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement as Becca and I get married on Saturday!

Chris out

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Thought from devotions

(This is what I planned to blog about until I read Ameliou's blog. Two for the price of one today.) I was reading from I Peter 4 today and was really struck by the verses I read. I am pasting the text I read below. I thought to myself that oftentimes people ask God what His will is for their lives and what they should do. Oftentimes we are expecting a very specific answer for the given situation, but I am finding that God's answers are not always that specific. Instead of preparing us for a single event, He will give us a principle that we can apply to a lifetime of events. Such is the case with the passage of Scripture I read today. I am not claiming these verses as "the" thing we should follow in our lives. However, as I read them they do provide specific guidelines for my life that by God's grace I desire to follow.

I Peter 4:7-11 (NIV) The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (emphasis added)

Grace and Truth

I was reading Ameliou's blog today and noticed the following thoughts regarding grace and truth. She was listening to a CD she receives monthly from Thrive and this month's CD has an interview with Randy Alcorn. (I read one of his books called Safely Home and it was amazing.

Please read Randy's thoughts below.

"He said that grace and truth must go together. Grace without truth he said is just tolerance and that's quite different than grace. He said to just say "whatever" and let people live as they please does them no good and he says the church often fails on this point. He pointed to an experience he had in a small group. After a couple months of meeting, he discovered that one of the couples was not married but had a child and were living together. He and his wife sat down privately to discuss the matter with them in grace and truth and to help them see that what they were doing was not right and bore consequences. This couple, although both believers, had never been told that their lifestyle was wrong and they were surprised that no one had ever helped them with it before. It turns out that finances were an issue, so the small group took up a collection for them and Mr Alcorn conducted the wedding and helped this couple correct their situation so they were no longer living in sin. He also said that truth without grace is not good either. He said especially in raising children you must have both. You can't pound the truth into their heads, you must teach it while also teaching and living grace. He discusses this more in his book "The Grace & Truth Paradox."

Grace and Truth. What a concept.

Chris out