Happy Barnabas Week

I love the last week of the year. I usually take the week off work and do what I really enjoy doing: going out to lunch with friends and encouraging people. This year I called the week Barnabas Week.

On Tuesday I was at Jesse and Rhonda's house during the afternoon. Jesse is fixing up the house before he and his family can move in. I had an education in insulation installation. I was amazed at all the work we were able to accomplish.

On Wednesday I went to lunch with Joe and his brother Eric. Joe and Eric are starting a tree serving company here in town. I was very interested to hear about starting a company. I must admit the entrepreneurial spirit was making an appearance. I love what I am doing at RBC Ministries, however it think it could be equally fun to not go to the office everyday and have a more freer work routine.

Yesterday, Duane and I had lunch. We had not seen each other for a while. It was great to catch up a bit and learn about what is going on in his life. He and his wife Hiba have become good friends since Becca and I were married in June.

I must admit the biggest thing this week has been waiting for Jesse and Rhonda's baby to be born. To say that we are impatiently waiting would be an understatement. At any moment my cell phone could ring and it's baby time. We are so happy for Jesse and Rhonda and hope the baby comes soon.

I hope your Christmas celebration was a blessed and happy one. Best wishes for God's richest blessings in 2005!

What an interesting day!

I went to church this morning at the church where I grew up. I was asked to sing special music. Singing at this church is not like singing at the church where Becca and I attend in Grand Rapids. Needless to say I was a little nervous. I think I did okay though I am always a little hard on myself.

After church my mom, dad and sister went out to lunch at Ruby Tuesday. As we made our way to our seats I noticed the former Assistant Pastor at my parent's church was there. He candidated to be the new Senior Pastor but was not voted in. He has formed another church in the area. When this first happened I was very apprensive about what was happening. However, I now look at this situation in a different way. I think the church where he was Assistant Pastor was stuck as he and others were doing so much. Now that he and some others are gone, this has forced people to step up and be involved. I think the church will be better off as a result of the circumstance though it was very hard at the start.

This afternoon my sister, Becca and I went out to do some shopping. We wanted to go to Ten Thousand Villages however it was closed. So we went to Caribou Coffee and got some needed liquid refreshment. Caribou is not in Grand Rapids so I always make it a point to go there when I am visiting my parents in Cleveland.

I'm not sure if you have read the news today or not but large tsunamis and earthquakes have hit some countries in Southeast Asia today. I received an email from a co-worker in Sri Lanka. He and his family live in a home on the beach. Needless to say, it has been a long and hard day for them. At last word their house is okay and I hope it stays that way. Please pray for the Berman family as they come to your mind.

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you are enjoying time with your family and friends. My family followed tradition and made sos for breakfast this morning. Becca and Melissa stuck to French toast though.

Many fun gifts for everyone. Becca, Mel and I all got 128MB memory sticks. I lost mine so I am glad to have one again. They are very helpful for transferring files. 128MB memory stick is the equivalent of 88 floppy disks. Two other fun gifts were a Michigan State Spartan sweatshirt and Livestrong yellow bracelet. I finally have one!

Enjoy your day and take lots of pictures as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Greetings from Bay Village, Ohio

Becca and I are here celebrating Christmas with my parents and sister Melissa. We decided to come down from Grand Rapids on Wednesday night and I am very glad we did. There was a ton of snow during the night Wednesday night which we would have had to deal with on Thursday morning. Not exactly my idea of fun if you ask me.

Tonight is the Christmas Eve service at my parent's church. It is always fun to be able to go and see people I haven't seen in a while. This has been a very hard year for my parent's church as there was a church split in June. Many people left along with the former associate pastor who was not voted in as the new Senior Pastor. Very difficult times to say the least.

One of my co-workers in Singapore posted a new website for him and his family. He is a photographer and graphic designer for RBC Ministries. He does amazing work. Check it out here. I also added a link to Alex's site in the links section on the right side of the page.

I am not sure if I posted this on here or not but BECCA HAS A JOB!!!! She starts on Tuesday with Catholic Family Services in Downtown Grand Rapids. She will be working 30 hours per week doing general office work. We are both very happy about this job. She is contracted to work with them till April. Praise the Lord for this provision and wonderful Christmas gift!

Well I think that is about all for now. I'll post some pictures of my dad and I shoveling snow when we get back to Grand Rapids. Very entertaining for sure.

Merry Christmas to all! / ¡Feliz Navidad a todos!

Thank Wal-Mart for helping Salvation Army overcome the Target loss

Hi everyone - The following is the text of an email I received today from the American Family Association. Becca and I were at Walmart last night and were excited to see the Salvation Army kettles there. I had no idea what Walmart was doing to help the Salvation Army and needy families this Christmas season. Please read the email and act as you feel lead.

Folks dropping money in Salvation Army kettles at Wal-Mart stores can make their money go twice as far. The world's largest retailer announced last Thursday it would match up to $1 million in donations.

The company said the clock started Thursday on the match and runs through Christmas Eve.

Wal-Mart is helping raise money for needy families, while the Target Corporation continues to serve as this year's "Ebenezer Scrooge." Earlier this year, Target told the Salvation Army to "take a hike" with its red kettles, refusing to allow them to raise much needed funds to help children this Christmas.

"We hope our customers join us in donating what they can to benefit an organization that does so much in our communities to serve families in need," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Betsy Reithemeyer said in a news release. "The Salvation Army red kettles and the bell ringers are truly a holiday tradition worth keeping."

The Salvation Army said the kettle donations are spent locally and said the Wal-Mart match will extend local donations.

I hope you will consider making your Christmas purchases with companies, like Wal-Mart, who support one of the nation’s most beloved charities, the Salvation Army.

In the meantime, please take a moment to thank Wal-Mart for supporting the good work of the Salvation Army.

Send your email to Wal-Mart now!

Our Christmas Tree is finally up

Our first Christmas tree is finally up. You can see it below. I will work on the other pictures and post them next week or during the weekend.

Happy Monday morning

Happy Monday everyone. I am not sure if I will be able to out do Amelia's most recent blog entry but I'll bring you up to date on what has been happening with Becca and I.

We are definitely in the thick of the holiday season. Right now the biggest stress is the Christmas program at church this coming Sunday night. I think the program will go well but there is a lot to do in the meantime. I am looking forward to having more freetime during the week after it is over.

Last night I went to my in-laws church to hear a group called ALIVE. I have gone on a missions trip to Guatemala with some of the people from this group. Last night they were reporting on a trip some of ALIVE's members took to Mexico. It was nice to see the group again. I was able to sing one of the songs with them which was unexpected but very fun. The song is called ¿A quien ire? which translated means To Whom Will I Go? The songs reminds us that God wants us to come to Him when we experience problems and tribulations.

That's all from me for now. Nothing too exciting going on around here I guess.

Becca is working

Becca has a job. RBC has been inundated with mail and our fulfillment team has requested bail out during the holiday season to get the orders in the mail that are coming in. So for the next couple of weeks Becca will be working here. She is continuing to send out resumes as this job is only temporary but I am excited that she has a job even on a temporary basis.

Last night we started interviewing the teens who have applied to go to Thailand next June. It was neat to get to know the kids a little bit better and to hear about their thoughts about this trip. I thought on the way home that it might be interesting to interview the teens in groups as this would tell us how the kids get along before they are officially on the team and in Thailand. I wish I would have come up with that idea sooner.

The weekend is here

The weekend is here again. I always like the weekend as it gives me a time to relax and to spend more time with Becca. She had a very good meeting with a temp agency on Thursday. Her test scores were very high. We are hoping to hear from them soon.

Tonight is our first Christmas party of the season. A small group we have recently re-joined is getting together. One of the members of the group will be leaving in early January to attend university in Chicago so this will probably be the last time we see her for a while.

Becca has created a blog for the youth at our church. She is the Youth Director and will be using this blog to post information about upcoming activities and also put forms online for downloading. Here is a link to the page. Check it out and send Becca your comments.

That's about all from here for now. Enjoy your weekend!

I'm back...

Praise God my blog is now working again. It is amazing how much I take for granted that I am able to post to the blog and you all are able to read this. You may think I am being sarcastic but I am really not.

The company where my website is hosted has recently changed web servers so we planned to move my website to the new server. I entered the new information in Blogger but I could not save the changes because of errors I was getting. Finally, I gave up on it and asked that my blog remain on the old webserver. I may not have some of the new functionalities, but at least I can post and you all can be updated on what is happening in our lives here in Grand Rapids.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful holiday break for us. Becca and I celebrated in Zeeland with her family. Becca's parents church does an outreach into the community and invites those who do not have a place to go for Thanksgiving, to come to the church for Thanksgiving Dinner. There was not a big turn out this year so there was a lot of food. They plan to advertise a bit earlier next year in hopes that more people will come out. The highlight of the experience for me (besides spending time with my in-laws) was eating deep fried turkey. This was a new thing for me and I must say deep fried turkey is very nice. After dinner I went to my in-laws house and was asleep within a minute and a half. The Lions game on TV actually helped me sleep I think :)

Becca and I did a lot of relaxing at home this weekend. We did a bit of shopping on Friday, though starting at 11:30am not 4 in the morning.

This morning was a little bit different dynamic for me as I headed to work and Becca stayed home. Becca's last day at work was Wednesday. She is still sending out applications and did go to the temp agency today to see what jobs are available. We should have a meeting with a local ministry this week to learn about an opening there. Thanks for your prayers as we wait to see what God has for us.

tmsaisti

Stop Dating the Church

In my weekly e-newsletter from Barnes and Noble there was an advertisement for a new book coming out from Josh Harris called Stop Dating the Church. As I was reading Ameliou's post today about her experience in a small group at her church, this book came to my mind. I have not read this book yet but I am very interested to take a look at it.

Here's the review from BN's website:
Putting in their hour or two on the weekend, many Christians take the rest of the week off, neglecting the church and her needs. It's not a serious relationship. Some shop around, looking for a church that suits their lifestyle. It's dating, with no assurances, no obligations. Bestselling author Joshua Harris calls Christians to stop playing the field and commit, just as Christ is committed to us, His bride. In his new book, Harris explores the ramifications of Ephesians 5:25-32, which proclaims the intensity and the breadth of Jesus Christ's love for His church. God has designed us to build our lives around a local church; we cannot be indifferent or uninvolved. Rather, we must be in love with and committed to God's plan and purpose through the church. Are you dating the church, or are you committed?

This also reminds me of some articles I have been reading on Christianitytoday.com about the Church. Chad Hall and Doug Johnson have been going back and forth on whether or not the place where we go on Sunday mornings is the church or a 501(c)3 not-for-profit religious organisation. I am not sure what my feelings are on this yet. I want to read their articles some more and then share with you. If you get a change to read this articles, I would be interested to know your thoughts as well.

I think God wants me to be a...

Over the last few days I have been scared to complete this sentence. Scared because of one "minor" aspect to a job opportunity my wife has. Becca has been in contact with a local ministry called Mission Possible. This ministry sets up and runs missions trips. This job sounds perfect for Becca (and me too), but there is one minor stipulation. Becca would need to raise her own support to do this job.

I am realising afresh that God needs to put us through the fire in order to increase our faith. Not by coincidence by devotions one day last week was in James 1 talking about trials. Trials are a necessary part of the Christian life, though definitely not the most comfortable or desired.

I am honestly not sure if this is the job for Becca or not. The leaders of this ministry want to meet with Becca and I next week. Please pray for wisdom for us and for God's provision.

New Starbucks!!!!

Well Ameliou and Supa K are making me look real bad so I better get to posting again.

I must say I am very excited because the newest Starbucks has come to Grand Rapids. There is a Starbucks located in the Meijer right by my work so no excuses for not having a Venti Caramel Apple Cider in hand at all times. I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is a week from today. Where did the summer and fall go? It feels like my wedding was yesterday and that was back in June.

Very busy times for Becca and I this week. We had a meeting last night for our missions trip to Thailand this summer and a Youth Advisory Board meeting. The Board has not met for a while so I really wasn't sure how the meeting was going to go, but I knew that we needed to meet badly. Though the meeting definitely had its ups and downs, I felt support from the Board for what Becca is trying to do as Youth Director. It is obvious that Becca did not grow up Baptist and everyone else in the room did, but I think this will afford us the opportunity to learn about each others traditions and work together as a group.

Happy Veterans Day!

I approach this Veterans Day differently than I have ones in the past as we are currently in the war in Iraq. I realise that as I write that each Veterans Day I have been alive there have been troops deployed all around the world being put in harms way while away from their families. For some reason though this Veterans Day reminds me in a stronger way of the blessings I receive because of those who have fought in wars, many of whom would not have chosen to fight in. Thank you veterans for your sacrifice!

Thank you friends for praying for Becca and I. Becca decided to put in her two week notice at her job. Praise the Lord for the peace she feels having made this decision. Please continue to pray that we would follow God's leading for her employment. Pray also that Becca would feel better soon.

Fun weekend and prayer request

What am amazing weekend! Becca and I along with two other leaders took the youth to the Word of Life Superbowl in Kalamazoo. This was an all-night activity. We went to a K-wings hockey game, had an evangelistic speaker, went bowling and then had free reign of the rec center at Western Michigan University. I really enjoyed this experience as it gave me the opportunity to hang out with the teens in a more casual setting.

The majority of the day Saturday was spent sleeping. We woke up around 3:30 and got ready to have Jared, Susan and Misty over. We played games and watched Trading Spaces. Did anyone catch the Trading Spaces last night where they showed rooms that people absolutely hated? I don't think I would ever let Hildi touch a room in my house even if she paid me.

I don't do this often on here but I have a prayer request. My wife really needs a new job. The job where Becca is currently working is making her physically ill. We are really not sure what we should do next and therefore we are in need of wisdom. Please pray that God would guide us where He would have us to go and that we would be very sensitive to His voice.

Thank you for your prayers and friendship!

Happy birthday Debby Li!

Today is Debby Li's 19th birthday. Check out her blog and wish her a happy birthday.

Also, don't forget who has a birthday this coming Tuesday!

It's finally over

President Bush has been re-elected! I am glad the election process is finally over. I don't think I was the only one tired of political commercials and messages on my answering machine from people like Carl Levin and the Democratic Party.

6 days until my birthday. Guess who else has the same birthday as me...

What an amazing week!

This week was our annual Executive Leadership Team (ELT) meeting here in Grand Rapids. There are 3 ELT meetings per year but the fall meeting is always here. Becca and I hosted the regional director for Africa-Asia who lives in Sri Lanka. It was so exciting for me to hear about what the Lord is doing around the world through RBC Ministries. I always enjoy the times when my co-workers from around the world are here in Grand Rapids. They have so many fun stories to tell and it is always fun to learn about the history of various countries. It is not fun when they leave but I have so much work to do so there is no time to think about their absense right now.

New blog

My wife has joined the blog world. There is a link to her blog in the list on the right. She is on top.

Check out her blog!

New additions to links

My friend John Pottenger and his wife Amy have blogs (along with an awesome website) so I have added them to the links list on the right side of my blog. However, as I look at my blog I realise that I must make some design changes as you have to scroll very far to see some things (like the links section). I may be hitting some of you up for your web page design expertise. :)

Greetings from Boston!

Becca and I are in Boston this weekend for a wedding. Kathy, the maid of honor in our wedding is getting married this weekend so we are suffering for the Lord here in Boston.

Getting around town has been a little interesting. I had Becca drive because she knows the town a bit better than I do. We decided to rent a car and stay at a hotel outside of town rather than stay in a hotel in Downtown Boston. A lot cheaper let me tell you :)

Hopefully I'll be able to put some pictures on here when we get back of our adventures this weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone!

New blog format

My friend Debby Li has updated the layout and format of her blog. You can access it by clicking the title of this blog entry or by clicking the link to Paradise Of the Blog on the right.

Will I Call Out?

The following is today's devotion in Soul Journey, a devotional for youth and young adults produced by Discovery House Publishers a sister ministry to RBC Ministries where I work.

I thought the writer did a very good job describing the Christian and sin. What do you think?
-----
How deep will I sink into the murkiness that is Sin? How dark
will it get? So dark it blinds me. It wraps itself around me, seeps
into me, into every pore--stifling, dragging me down. Yet I
welcome it. Why?

Because it's easier, easier than admitting, easier than asking for
help, easier than being dependent, easier than going against the
grain--being different.

How cold will it get as I sink into the miry abyss? The deeper I go,
the colder it gets.

The chill hits my bones and enters further into me still.

Until it touches the innermost part of me, where nothing should
venture but You.

Wraps its tentacles around me--constricts.

And the darkness comes again, blacker still.

How long will I wait before I let out my breath and reach up my
hands to the heavens?

Squeeze my eyes tight so tears fall?

Grit my teeth as my knees hit the ground and I repent?

And mean it.

Your arms break the surface. The sunlight dances on the ripples.

The Light opens my eyes and I am pulled toward You.

I leave the darkness behind, pulled from the fog into the clear
air--crisp and fresh.

And You embrace me to ward off the chill.

Later, as You watch me You aren't far away--You never are.

I venture to the edge as I've done so often before. I look into the
depths where I've been so often before, and my feet slip on the mud.

I cry out to You and You catch me.

And I weep because I got so close . . . and I know I'll do it again.

And again, You will be there.

But next time, next time, will I call out?

Or will I let myself fall?

Updates

Well I am being a blog slacker again so here's the update.

Becca and I are getting more and more used to our role in the youth ministry at our church. It is very exciting for me to watch Becca involved in something she really enjoys and is good at. We have a weekly Youth Advisory Board meeting where we are working through the organisation of the youth ministry. There are many details to work through at this time though as time goes along these board meetings will be less frequent, probably happening on a monthly basis.

I continue to be in shock on how many hurricanes are hitting Florida. I know God is in control but part of me asks "Haven't they had enough yet?" I think about Ked and Amelia often as they are in the path of these storms and I hope they are okay.

Becca and I are headed to Boston on 8 October for the weekend. The maid of honor in our wedding is getting married so we are headed over to celebrate with

That is all I can think of for now. I hope all is well with you. Drop me an email if you get a chance.

Chris

New developments

Well it has been an interesting week so far to say the very least. Becca has been trying for another job and we found out yesterday that she was not chosen. This was very hard but I think she has a good perspective on this. Please keep her in your prayers as she comes to your mind. We want to follow God's will wherever that would take her employment.

Becca was officially chosen on Tuesday night as the Director of Youth Ministries at our church. Becca has a big vision and excitement for the youth ministry at church. We have our first Youth Advisory Board meeting tonight to start talking about this coming year. I am looking forward to Becca finding a ministry where she can use her talents for the Lord. It is exciting for me as her husband to see opportunities where she can be involved.

And last, but certainly not least, the Elders also approved our plan to take the youth of our church on a missions trip to Thailand this coming summer. This is not your run of the mill missions trip but more of a vision trip educating and exposing the teens to what the life of a missionary is really like. Can you imagine the potential of 10 or so teens going on a trip like this, coming back and seeing what happens? I am excited to say the least.

That's all for now folks.

Lessons from life

I am really struggling to be more regular in my blogging. Thank you for your patience with me.

God is teaching Becca and I a lot right now. God is continuing to teach us about patience and relying on Him and not ourselves. Each day I am reminded that I can do nothing on my own. I must trust God for each moment.

I finished Wisdom Hunter on Tuesday night (click the link on the left side of my blog for more information on the book). This is an amazing book. It is the story of Pastor Jason Fairchild's life as he deals with the death of his wife and grand-daughter (who he never met) and his spiritual journey resulting from their deaths. This book is based on a true story and it is amazing for me to see how God can take what humanly looks like a tragedy and use it for His glory. I would never have imagined this story ending the way it did.

This book also talks about legalism in the church. Pastor Fairchild learned a lot of his beliefs originally by being brainwashed. As a result of tragic events in his life, He relearned a lot about God. I have friends who are on similar journeys right now as they find out for themselves who God is. I think these times, though difficult, can be very rewarding. I think God can draw us closer to Himself as we learn about Him and this makes the pain worthwhile.

New beginnings

WOW! Two blog entries within one week. I think I am getting back to normal now.

I have a wonderful lunch meeting today at Panera with Jesse and Rob. I think if I had a lunch meeting at Panera every day of the week I would be happy. (Though I'm not sure how happy my checking account would be.)

Well, Luis and Anita are in Brazil. They will be missed around here. I was thinking on the way into work this morning that exciting days are ahead. God has raised up Luis and Anita and now sent them off to Brazil to continue the ministry He has given them to do. Now, from those who are still here in Grand Rapids, God will continue to raise up people for new areas of responsibility. It will be exciting to see how the Lord moves and what things happen in the future.

I have been struck lately seeing how many of friends are on very exciting spiritual journeys. God is teaching some of my friends new things. These lessons can be painful at times but are good as they draw us closer to God and teach us more about Him. I cannot be jealous a bit as some of the journeys as people are learning for themselves why they believe certain things about God. In my experience my beliefs have often be shaped by simply taking facts at face value rather than finding out for myself why certain things are true.

What do you think?

Busy, busy days

Well it seems I am not the only slacker in the blogging world, however I am finally going to remedy the situation.

This last weekend Becca and I went to Cleveland to visit my parents. My sister went back to school on Sunday so we helped move her into her dorm. At first I missed college life. After moving her into her dorm, I am glad that I live in an apartment with my wife. Dorm rooms are just too small :)

Tomorrow my boss and his family are moving to Brazil. He will still be my boss, but his job is moving to Brazil where RBC Ministries will establish a regional office for the Americas region. On the one hand I see this as a very exciting opportunity, not only for RBC, but also for Luis and his family. On the other hand, I think it would still be scary to move your life to another place. I guess I am becoming a home body though I love the world and want to see more of it.

Tonight, Becca and I are going to a home buyer seminar put on by a bank across the street from our apartment. We are seriously looking at purchasing a home after our present lease is up next June. I am looking forward to this seminar as it should teach us a lot about the home buying process.

That is about all for now. I am still not done with Wisdom Hunter but I hope to blog about it when I am done.

tmsiasti

Fun weekend

I am sorry I had not posted in so long. This weekend Becca and I went to Cran Hill near Big Rapids where Becca's parents church (Faith Reformed, Zeeland) was camping. I had not been camping in a long time, so consequently it brought back many memories of childhood camping trips as well as experiences at a Christian camp as a counselor.

Have you watched the Olympics yet? I love the Olympics and am glad to see the USA is doing well in a number of sports so far.

Prayer

As I have been talking with friends and co-workers this week, I am reminded that many people I know are going through very hard times. This blog entry is not a trite answer to all the people struggling with things. This entry is however a reminder for us to pray for our friends during these days. God uses these trials for good purposes, however often times they do not feel fun at the time.

Thanks for praying. Have a good night!

Lazy hazy crazy days of summer

I love being able to sleep until 10am on Saturday mornings. The major advantage to having a one bedroom apartment is that it does not take long to clean it (Amens from Supa K & Ameliou in the background) :)

Today was a lazy day. I sleep in until 10am and then not 3 hours later I was asleep again in the Lazy Boy at my in-laws. When my mother-in-law says you need to sleep I do not argue. We grilled out and enjoyed the evening with them in Zeeland.

I was excited to see The West Wing on TV tonight however I am concerned they are moving it from Thursday nights to Saturday nights. Needless to say I am very not well with that function. Hopefully when the new season starts in the fall we will all be back to normal.

Enjoy your Saturday night!

Power Outage

Hello friends!

This is what is becoming my weekly blog entry. This week has been crazy and I am sorry for not writing that much. I however must share what I read during devotions yesterday.

The meditation was talking about a morning when the writer woke up and realised the power had gone out during the night. He realised that soon people in his neighborhood would wake up to a morning without electricity and therefore would not be able to do certain things liks watch the news on television, make toast, brew coffee, and talk on the telephone.

Then I thought of how often I rush into the day without spiritual power. I spend more time reading the newspaper than the Bible. Talk radio replaces listening to the Spirit. I react to difficult people and circumstances in a spirit of fear rather than the spirit of“power and of love and of a sound mind”that God has given us (2 Timothy 1:7). I must appear as spiritually unkempt as a person who dressed and groomed in the dark.

Our power outage was short-lived, but the lesson remains of my need to begin each day by seeking the Lord. His strength is not for my success or well-being, but so that I will glorify Christ by living in His power.

I was very convicted by this devotional because it is so easy to rush into my day without coming to God and asking Him to be my source for the day. When I neglect coming into God's presence in the morning, I am not spiritually prepared for the day. Physically preparation is necessary, but spiritual preparation is just as necessary if not more so.

Another thing that challenged me yesterday came from 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline" (NIV). In talking with my friends lately, I am aware of the work of the enemy in their lives trying to cause them to stumble. Some of my friends have told me they feel very defeated at times. This verse encourages me though we may feel defeated, we are not. Satan is a defeated foe and we need to acknowledge him in that way.

The passage in 2 Timothy continues in this way (emphasis added), "So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."

So many more things come to my mind as I read this passage, but for your benefit I will stop for now. I am so thankful for what God is teaching me through His word and I trust He is teaching you as well.

Have a great weekend!

Yeah the end of the week is here!

WOW what a busy week. We have had people over Wednesday night and last night. We're having a group of friends over tonight and then hopefully some other friends on Saturday night. We both love to entertain, however we have decided that 4 nights in a row is a lot and we won't do this again anytime soon.

Last night we had Kedron and Amelia over along with our friends the Johnston's who were married on 22 May of this year. We had a great time looking at pictures from the Johnston's globe trotting honeymoon. Becca and I loved our honeymoon to the Dominican Republic, however the Johnston's honeymoon was nice too. I must add the Ked does have some very exciting news coming in a couple weeks so do stay tuned to his blog for more information :)

As you think of Becca and I please keep us in your prayers for some decisions that we need to make. These decisions are not earthshattering, but are still very important to us. We want to be in the center of God's will.

Well, tmsaisti. Have a great weekend everyone!

Chris out

God wants relationship with me

<sup>This passage from my devotions today so perfectly goes along with so many things I have been learning at church. The bottom line is that God does not desire religion from me, He desires relationship. It is not all about doing the right things, saying the right words all the time. God wants relationship and He wants to live His life through me. I find this passage to be a freeing one as I read and remind myself the expectations that I place on myself are not from God. I hope this passage encourages you today.

Ephesians 2:11-22</sup>

11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- ¹²remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

¹⁹Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, ²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²²And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

A welcome...

Today I welcome someone to the list of What I'm Surfing. Paradise Of the Blog is the blog of Debby Li. Debby is the daughter of the International Director for RBC Ministries. Debby is here in Grand Rapids for a 6-month internship with Discovery House Publishers. She has quite an extensive website and hope at some point to learn some things about web design from her while she is here.

Check out her blog and say hi!

Chris out

One month

It hardly seems possible that Becca and I have been married a month, but at the same time it feels like it should be much, much more than a month. I am so grateful for what the Lord has taught me so far in our marriage and can't wait to see what He has in store for us as we serve Him together. There are so many neat things on the horizon and it makes me excited to see what God is going to do next.

Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement!

How to see our wedding photos

I would like to invite you to visit images from my wedding, which just became available online. Please go to www.pictage.com to view this event. You will need the following information to access the event.

First log in with your name, email address and password of your choice. Then search for The Dreyer / Robertson Wedding. To view the images, you may be asked for an event key. Enter when prompted and then have fun looking at the pictures. If you see any that you like, you can order them directly online by clicking on the shopping cart icon. They will be sent directly to you.

Come look at the pictures soon!

Thursday quiet time thoughts

I was reading tomorrow's devotion from Our Daily Bread and was challenged in a new way about depending on God. Allow me to quote the text of the devotional:

I recall walking along a Texas creek many years ago with my brother-in-law Ed and his 3-year-old son David. David had been collecting smooth, round stones from the stream while we walked. He called them“ piggies,” because their rounded shape reminded him of little pigs.

David had stuffed a number of “piggies” in his pockets, and after running out of pockets he began carrying them in his arms. After a while he began to stagger under the load and lag behind. It was obvious he would never make it back to the house without help, so Ed said,“Here, David, let me carry your piggies.”

Reluctance clouded David’s face for a moment, and then it lit up.“I know,”he said.“ You carry me and I’ll carry my piggies!”

As I read this, the idea that David proposed seemed absurd. However, it forced me to realise that some of my ideas I propose to God can be just as crazy. God invites me to cast all of my cares upon Him, not to have Him carry me while I carry my cares. How many times am I guilty of this on a daily basis?

I think this relates to control. I feel better when I am in control of my life, however it is exactly when I feel I am in the most control that I am not. More importantly, God does not call us to be in control of our lives. He calls us to surrender our lives for use in His service.

I hope these thoughts will challenge you as they have challenged me today.

tmsaisti

Fun weekend

This past weekend went by so fast, however it was jam packed with cool activities. On Friday night we had some friends over. We had not seen some of these friends since the wedding so it was great to see them, catch up a bit, play games and show wedding pictures. I am so glad for the friends that we have and the encouragement they have been to us as we have started our new life together.

On Saturday I ventured into the construction side of life and yes I do have pictures to prove it. Unfortunately they are not on my camera so I will try my best to post them soon. Becca's mom is building a deck around their pool and I helped. I may not be the most construction inclined, however I can follow directions and I endeavoured to follow directions as much as I could so I would be a help and not a hindrance.

Saturday night some members of our church had a bonfire. It was at the bonfire that I learned that my beautiful wife is a pyro. She was just a little too good helping Rob get the bonfire lit. (I am in such trouble now.)

Sunday night my church had the first of 3 southern Gospel concerts. We hosted Legacy Five. I have wanted to have them for 3 years now so you can imagine how excited I was to have them here. We had the biggest crowd we have ever had for a concert and the Lord blessed us with a remarkable love offering. The Lord does bless us when we go out on faith trusting in Him to provide.

Finally, yesterday Becca and I along with my parents and some friends went to Traverse City for the Cherry Festival. I have not been to the Festival in a couple of years so it was very nice to go back. My favorite part was all the free samples :) I did take many pictures and hope to post some once I have them on my computer.

The weekend was definitely a relaxing one. We were definitely not ready for the new work week today but Monday is almost over so I think we survived.

Hope your weekend was just as fun.

tmsaisti

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 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

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

To wet your appetite for more wedding pictures...

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.

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

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

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

Thoughts from the new apartment

This is my first blog entry from the new apartment. The reality of Becca's and my upcoming wedding is hitting me on new levels, especially as more and more things are moved into our apartment. I continue to be amazed at how God is bringing us through this process. My faith is constantly being renewed and strengthened. Part of me is very glad for this, the other part wishes my faith were stronger the whole time.

I found out the best way to make a move go quickly: invite people over the night of move day. We invited a few friends over on Saturday night and had a great time. Jesse and I put together the grill just in time to use it to cook dinner. We are so blessed to have the friends we have and we both love to entertain. Saturday night is just the tip of the iceberg of the times we will have in our new apartment. I can't wait to see what God will do in this space as long as He has us here.

Chris out

Memorial Day story

I was reading Ameliou's blog today and there is a very good story on there from her grandmother about World War II. This story is a good reminder for me that this weekend, and Monday in particular, should be much more than a day off work and the start to summer (though I am really looking forward to the day off). Memorial Day should be a reminder to us of those who have sacrified so much so that "we can freely gather on weekends like these."

I will be moving this weekend and I hope to post some moving pictures next week.

Whatever you do this weekend get out and enjoy the weather and remember those who have gone before us.

tmsaisti out

Happy move week!

Well better than late than never, here is the next installment in my blog.

This week is move week as I am moving into the new apartment on Saturday. I am really looking forward to moving. I have been able to get rid of a lot of things I no longer need which has been good. It has been interesting through this process to look at notes and books from earlier seasons of my life. Many memories.

I was saddened today to hear of the passing of one of my co-workers wife. He was in New Zealand at the time for some meetings. He was called home early as she was not doing well, but he was not able to get home before she passed this morning at 5am. I could not imagine being in his shoes right now, though I know full well that the God that he and I both serve will comfort and lead him through these days. Please remember Howard in your prayers along with his sons.

Well, that's all for now. Off to a gathering tonight with some friends at one of my friend's new house. It should be fun. Hope to post some pictures from it tomorrow.

Chris out

Lessons from a mask

I was just reading Roger Bennett's blog from yesterday (he posts early in the morning, so most people read his entries the day after he posts them) and I was challenged regarding prejudice. In order for Roger to go out in public, he has to wear a surgical mask because of his weak immune system. He frequently gets stares from people when he enters a room because they are not accustomed to seeing people with a mask in public. He is able to deal with stares and momentary discomfort, however this has caused Roger (and me) to think about people with similar problems that are not able to "take off the mask." There are people with birth defects and injuries that cannot remove their abnormality as Roger is able to.

I cannot say that I feel the same way about this issue as Roger does because I do not share his experience. I, however am challenged in light of his experience to be more sensitive to those around who are perceived as "different."

"Lord help me be more aware of hurting people who endure a lifetime of being different. People who endure the stares everyday and do it with dignity. Help me to respond to them with the same dignity."

tmsaisti

Rainy day un-blahs

Today is a rainy day in Grand Rapids. As I was preparing to come to work I noticed lightning outside my apartment window. I am not accustomed to seeing lighting at 7:30 in the morning so this was definitely an experience for me. Many people get gloomy when it is raining outside, however for some reason I am not feeling that way. I realise that we need the rain. I remember in past years the farmers crops have not been what they could have been because of the lack of rain. Therefore, I am grateful for the rain, though it may present temporary difficulties. (It does make me very excited I am going to the Dominican Republic for my honeymoon in 24 days!)

Becca and I are preparing for wedding #2 of 2004. Bryan and Julie are getting married this Saturday. Becca and I went to the Philippines with Bryan in 2001 and have kept up with him since then. I lived with Bryan for a few months when I first started at RBC in 2001.

One final fun note, my team here at RBC threw Becca and I a wedding shower on Tuesday. I uploaded some of the pictures to my website and one is posted below in this blog entry.



Enjoy the rest of your Thursday!

tmsaisti

Another missions Sunday

I love when missionaries come to church and speak, however I especially love it when I don't know they are coming. I was in Cleveland this weekend at my parent's church and one of the church's missionaries, Carson Fremont gave the morning and evening messages. Carson and his wife Joyce are missionaries with ABWE. Carson was ordained for the ministry in 1950 and left with ABWE originally in 1952. He has been a missionary a long time.

Missionaries like Carson & Joyce are a dying breed and unfortunately they are not being replaced. I do not have exact numbers in front of me, however I do know that the number of missionaries retiring today does not equal the number of new missionaries going to the field (whether domestic or foreign). However, I am encouraged by the number of missionaries from foreign countries coming to the US and other countries around the world. The evangelisation of the world is a world-wide effort.

I was speaking with a retired missionary at church yesterday and she and I were both very excited about Carson's presentation and the challenge for us to finish the work God has given us to do. We all have a part in God's work. We should start where we are. This is a hard concept for me at times because it is far easier for me to think about what God is doing in Sri Lanka, rather than what he is doing in downtown Grand Rapids (or Brandon, Florida). It is not wrong for us to think about what God is doing around the world, however we can't loose sight of what He is doing here at the same time.

Summary:
1) I must complete the work God has given me to do.
2) I can't forget about the work here in the US while I think about the work around the world.

tmsaisti

different is good

What do you think of the new format?

As a result of Blooger's association with Google, many new blog templates are available to be used. I heard Ameliou might be changing too, but since I wanted to beat her, I jumped on the opportunity today to change. (For more detailed information on my view toward change, please check out this site.)

Well the week is almost over and this one has crawled along at times. I'm headed to Cleveland this weekend. My younger sister is turning 21 on Sunday. WOW I am feeling old! I will be sure to take pictures this weekend and put them on the blog next week.

God has been continuing to bless me with opportunities to be silent before Him this week as I reflect on the video from last Friday night's small group (see blog entry below). Being silent before God is very difficult for me. It is sometimes difficult to quiet my mind with many things going on. However, God continues to bless me as I am silent before Him and listen for His voice.

tmsasti

thoughts from yesterday's sermon and small group

God accepts us just as we are, however He does not want to leave us that way.

That is the "sound bite" from the sermon yesterday. Becca and I went to Faith Reformed Church in Zeeland. This is the church where we will be married in 32 days. I have really grown to love this church and its people.

I have known that God accepts us as we are, however I have never heard it said quite this way about His desires to transform our lives. It can be so easy for me to try and thwart the Lord's work by shutting Him out. I believe He allows me to do this at times. I feel like I am in control, however in reality I'm not. This is a difficult lesson to learn, but nonetheless an important lesson.

One other thought from small group on Friday night. Our small group is relatively new, but a real blessing to me when we get together. We are studying a video series put together by Nooma, a video production company part of Mars Hill Bible Church.

The video we watched on Friday night was called Noise. The message from the video related to the noise in our lives and how it can prevent us from hearing God's voice. I know in my life of late I have wanted to hear God's voice on a lot of issues but at times it seems like I'm not hearing from him (or not hearing when I want to hear from him). I think in some cases God is trying to teach me patience, however I believe it is possible that in other cases I am not being silent before Him and allowing Him to speak into myself. This relates to the control issue I wrote about earlier.

Am I staying busy, thus avoiding God's voice so I can stay in control of my life? Why do I feel I am in more control of my life during these times when in reality I am never in control of my life?

What do you think?

tmsaisti

Wonderful, beautiful day in Grand Rapids

I love summer-like weather. For me, it just doesn't get any better than sitting on my porch in a t-shirt & shorts, drinking a Mountain Dew while surfing the Internet (wirelessly of course). And of course, as I am typing this blog entry I am doing just that. I hope there are many more days like today this year.

Today marks the 23 day mark until I move into our new apartment. I went through the storage area with this mindset: If something has not been used in the two years I have lived here, it really needs to be thrown away. Consequently, I have quite a few boxes full of trash. (Becca will be so glad to read this I am sure.)

Tonight is the series finale of Friends. For all of you who are saying, I'm not watching that dumb show, please give it up and watch the show. I am not an avid Friends fan and I am most definitely watching it. I hope to find a Friends blog to post my thoughts in as well.

You will notice a new link on the right side of your screen. Roger Bennett is the piano player and tenor in Legacy Five. He has recently gone through a bone marrow transplant at the M.D. Anderson hospital in Houston, TX. He has a blog where he recounts his journey and what God is teaching Him through the process. I have been very blessed and encouraged by these entries so I thought I'd pass along the link to you.

TMSAISTI

Woo hoo...it's all done

I have just completed all the reservations for the honeymoon and I must say I am glad to be done. I also must say this is going to be one nice honeymoon. Now if anyone of you thinks that I am going to post, on the internet no less exactly where will be staying you must be crazy. However, I will tell you that we are going to the Dominican Republic. The lack of blog posting of late has been because of my work on this project. One project done, a few more to go.

We are off to Ma and Dino's tonight. I always like going to visit them. I will be showing them pictures from all of my trips last year and this year so far.

TMSAISTI

Wonderful missionary Sunday

My church invited a missionary couple, Joe & Ursula Morell to come and speak yesterday. They are missionary appointees with Biblical Ministries Worldwide to Sweden. They are a wonderful couple and I am so glad to have met them. I think the thing that impresses me the most about them is they are real people. Sometimes missionaries (and other Christian workers) desire to put their best face forward in order to impress the people they are with. This is not the case with the Morell's. Not that they are bad people, but you knew they were being themselves.

They are pretty far along in the pre-field ministry process and hope to be on the field in August. I am very excited to have met them and look forward to hearing about their ministry in the weeks and years to come.

However, this is what we planned for yesterday. In addition to what we planned, God planned...

Another missionary couple with United Indian Mission stopped by our church yesterday. I do not remember their last name but their first names are Wolfgang and Kelly. They are also missionary appointees headed to Mexico. They plan to do Missionary Aviation work when they arrive on the field.

The missions committee members and myself are still basking in the glow of a wonderful missions Sunday. I am so glad to have people around me at church that love missions and missionaries as much as I do. I am also glad to be marrying someone who shared my love for missions and the world.

TMSAISTI

More about faith

God is continuing to teach Becca and I about faith through many ways. Let me share one with you.

Yesterday we purchased the airfare for our honeymoon. I have been looking at airfare for months. Recently I have found some really good deals, however this week the really good deals have been disappearing and yesterday I decided we needed to buy our airfare now before the prices went up too much farther. So I went and searched my good friend Orbitz and subsequently bought the tickets.

How does this relate to faith? Originally I wanted to have everything with the resorts in the Dominican arranged before we purchased the airfare. I believe part of this rationale was legitimate, however the other part was Chris wanting to be in control and have everything arranged very neatly. Purchasing the airfare yesterday, for me was an act of faith. I believe God will reward this in His timing.

Some of you have mentioned you have some thoughts on faith. I am curious to read them. Please post them in the comments area.

Have a great day and weekend!

TMSAISTI

Random events of today

Becca and I were shopping tonight at Target and a crazy thing happened. We were shopping for a couple who is getting married in May and guess who we ran into. The couple getting married in May! I am still in shock.

My blog has become even more exciting as you can now make comments. Thanks for Ameliou for guiding me to an easy place to make it happen.

Continuing my discussion of faith from yesterday, in my team's devotion time today we read a meditation from Oswald Chamber's book. The title of the devotion was Certain of uncertainty. The focus was challenging the reader regarding faith during time in life where you do not have clear direction of the future. I think God is trying to teach me about faith because that seems to be a pretty consistent topic of late. I continue to sense that change (more than just the wedding) is on the horizon. God has revealed some detail about this, however there is still of lot of uncertainty. I need to be patient and wait for God to reveal His plans, however even as I type that I realise that is hard because I want/need to be in control. Well enough deep thoughts for now.

44 days to go until the big day. TMSAISTI

Faith

I was struck with a thought about faith today. Is faith trusting God to care for the details of a given situation with the way in mind that it will be fixed or is faith "blindly" trusting God that He will care for the details? Sometimes it is so easy for me to say I have faith in God while plotting in my mind how I will bring the event to pass.

I must admit that the specific situation I was thinking with regards to faith was the wedding. It is easy for me to express trust in God that He will provide while at the same time thinking of how I can save money to pay for this, that and the other thing. I don't think that financial planning is necessarily bad, however I think in some cases it can prevent me from fully trusting God as I could.

This topic of faith is often discussed some much in Christian circles and consequently can be perceived negatively. I don't mean to come up with the new, perfect way for you to have faith, but rather to share my experiences.

TMSAISTI

An amazing weekend...

Becca and I had an amazing weekend in Boston. There will be many blog entries in the near future talking about little snipets of the weekend. We visited Cape Cod on Saturday and then Becca's church and other friends on Sunday. I was just so glad to meet them and enjoyed the time with them immensely. God is leading Becca and I and giving us wisdom for the future for which we are grateful.

Well just a brief post for now. Look for more later.

Another devotional thought

It seems like I'm sharing a lot from my devotions lately, however as I read today's meditation I knew I wanted to share this one as well.

The summary of the mediation was to value the position in which God places you. We may not always feel like we are in the limelight or that God is even using us. I have struggled with this thought of late, however at these God uses various means, including the Our Daily Bread to bring me back to reality.

Let me quote the closing thought from the meditation: "In God's service there are no high and low people, no high and low tasks. We all depend on one another..."

I was very encouraged by this thought and I trust you will be as well.

And, tmsaisti...

Thought from devotions today

I was reading Romans 12:1-21 today for devotions from the Our Daily Bread. I was struck by a small little word, then.

Verse 2 in the NIV reads, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

I was reflecting today that a lot of my prayers lately have been on the subject of trying to figure out what God wants me to do (e.g. honeymoon, misc wedding plans, future ministries, etc). I am not saying that we should go to Him in prayer when we need wisdom. We are told in James to do this very thing. However, I think that as I seek God's will I need to ensure I am following the directives of Romans 12:1,2. I need to ensure, with the Spirit's help, that I am submitting myself to God each day as my reasonable act of worship, and allowing God to renew my mind. Then I will be able to know what God will is.

These are my thoughts for today and I'm sticking to them...

Funny story

Yesterday Becca and I went to Chicago with our friends, the Fleegers. Duane mentioned that he wanted to go the Apple store while we were in Chicago. Unfortunately, I was experiencing another slow brain moment. At first I thought Duane was referring to a stores where apples that are eaten could be purchased. However, Duane was referring to an Apple store where Apple computers can be purchased.

Oops...

Another week

Well I have been quite the blog-slacker this week. Amelia is making me look bad but it's all good.

Did everyone see the final Apprentice last night? I must admit I am getting into some of the reality TV shows. I probably won't watch the Apprentice when it comes back in the fall but it was interesting this season at least.

The other exciting news from this week (much more exciting than the Apprentice I should add) is Becca and I started pre-marital counseling. The pastor who is marrying us has a very unique, but good style toward counseling. We will meet with him for about a half hour or so during which he will present us a topic. The rest of the time Becca and I will spend together talking about that topic ourselves. During the next session we'll let him know what we came up with and go from there. Jonathan does not hold himself out to have all the answers and I find this perspective a refreshing one.

Tomorrow Becca and I are headed to Chicago with our friends the Fleegers. Hopefully we will be able to post some pics from the trip on the Blog next week.

Have a great weekend.

The Passion Of the Christ

I was reading Mark Lowry's rambling page (kind of like a blog) and saw a link to an article Mark read about the success of the Passion Of the Christ. Check it out...

Blog poll

This is the first of many Blog poll's which I'll invite you to participate in from time to time. Please email me your thoughts and I will post them once I get a few responses.

Poll Question #1: What is the purpose of Peeps?

Fun Easter weekend

It has been a while since I have posted on here so I better get cracking.

Becca and I went to Cleveland this weekend to visit my family. Overall I would say it was a good visit. We had a lot of relaxing time which I think we both needed. One of the highlights for me was going through a lot of books that I have stored at my parent's house to determine which will be kept and which will be given to Goodwill or Baker Book House.

We attended Grace Baptist Church yesterday. It hurts me to see the church where I was raised going through hard times. I know that God will use these circumstances to do incredible things, however it is still a bit painful in the meantime. There is only one staff member (the youth pastor) right now, and therefore he has a lot of responsibility. I would not have chosen anyone else to be in Steve's shoes right now, but I am sure it is difficult. Please pray for this church as it comes to your mind.

Well I must get going. Much to do at work this morning as I'm at Outlook training this afternoon. I always like learning about new software, just not necessarily after an afternoon two days in a row.

Have a great day!

10 Commandments Of Cell Phones

Ked posted these on Amelia's blog today and I had to share them with everyone. They are too funny.

I pasted them into a new web page on my site. All credit to Kedron.

Productive day

Wedding plans continue to move along today. Tonight we completed the mailing of the invitations and secured the wedding cake. It is always exciting to make decisions, however for some reason I am always reminded of things yet to go, the foremost in my mind right now being the honeymoon.

For those of you who do not know, Becca and I have won a few honeymoons. We hope to take two of them to the same resort in the Dominican Republic. As Becca and I were sending in the forms to apply for these honeymoons I came to realise how much of a process it will be to get these free stays in the resort. Please remember this issue in prayer as it comes to your mind.

Today felt like a productive day at work too. One of my co-workers is on vacation and another is leaving on vacation tomorrow so I'm covering for a couple of people. Many projects are in progress but are going well. I, however, was reminded today that God is in control and I'm not. Unfortunately, at times I need frequent reminders.

Well, like my friend Amelia, today was not that exciting of a day so I'm signing off, going to read some more of my book and go to bed.

Have a great night!

The end of the week

Well the end of another work week is here. I am continually amazed at how quickly. This weekend Becca and I are headed to Cleveland for wedding shower #1. I am actually very excited about how this shower came about. I kind of wanted to have one in Cleveland so people at the church where I grew up could meet Becca, however I wasn't sure how this was going to happen. A couple weeks ago I heard that a lady from the church, of her own initative was going to set one up for us. Needless to say, I was very excited.

Hope you have a great weekend! Enjoy the weather!

Engagement pictures

I wanted to let everyone know that the engagement pictures have been posted and they can be seen using the link on right side of the blog. Also, some of the links on the picture pages were incorrect, as of 9:10pm on Thursday night, all links have been checked and are correct.

All pictures posted are Copyright 2004 by Coastline Photography. If you would like to order any prints of these pictures please let me know.

Have a great night!

Video company from Mars Hill Bible Church

My roommate just emailed me the website for the movie company that produces the movie I saw during small group on Friday night. Check out the site. These movies are very good.

More later...

Small group comments, etc

Last Friday night our new small group met for the second time. I was very anxious about this meeting, particularly since it had been over a month since the group had met. I was amazed how quickly it felt like it had been no time at all since we had last seen each other. I was also very blessed to see how the group was functioning so much like a group, during its second meeting.

For our study time we watched a video called Baggage that was produced by Mars Hill Bible Church. I am still amazed how much they can pack into a 14 minute video. The topics covered in this video ranged from forgiveness to guilt-filled living. I was blessed by Rob's honesty as he spoke. I look forward to hopefully seeing this video again as well as the others in the series. I cannot find a link to the video company who produces these videos, but when I find it I will put it on the Blog.

Had a wonderful practice last night with people from my church. God is really using these times together to help us musically and spiritually. Tonight is the budget meeting for the Missions Committee. I am very excited about my involvement with this group and what God is doing through our missionaries all around the world.

Have a great day!

The long awaited picture

Some who have not yet met my fiancé, Becca Dreyer have asked to see a picture of her. With her permission, I am posting this picture of us when I visited her last July in Boston. I do not have the picture of us on the cruise with the beautiful sunset, so this one will have to do.



As soon as I get the proof CD of our engagement pictures, and provided I have the photographers permission, I will try and post some of those on the Blog as well. As I mentioned in my other entry, I was very pleased with the way they came out. If you ever have photography needs and live in the Grand Rapids area, I encourage you to check out John's business.

Needed correction

On my Wednesday and Thursday posts from last week, I made a grievous error. I neglected to make mention of the photographer who took our engagement photos. Especially since he has a website, and is a great photographer (I take horrible pictures, so if he can get good pictures of me, he is very talented. John Pottenger is his name and his business is Coastline Photography. Please check out the link, especially if you need photography work done.

Apartment all done

Well this weekend was very productive. Yesterday we addressed the remaining invitations. We'll be mailing them out this week. I will scan the invitation and make a link to it from the blog. Stay tuned...

Today we signed for our apartment that I'm moving into on 29 May. It is very nice to have that detail done.

I must give credit for the Weather Channel image to Ked and Amelia. I saw it on their blog, and through some html "borrowing" put it on here. Thanks for a great idea. It is nice to see the temperature as it is in the 60's as I post it on here. I hope the rain and snow stay far away. We'll have to see.

Have a great night.

It's Friday, bring on the weekend!

Here is Chris' random thought for today. We live in a very chaotic world and at times, especially in Christian circles, it seems like the end goal is removing as much chaos as possible. Now, I know that God is a God of order (e.g. his method of Creation), however do you think it is possible that he uses these seemingly random, chaotic, events for His purposes? Should our goal perhaps be not to necessarily want to remove the chaos but try and allow God to use it. What do you think? Email me your feedback

For once in a very long time I feel a sense of completion as I approach the end of this work week. God has certainly been good throughout, though I confess I'm not always the same way. I feel like God has allowed me to accomplish a lot this week and therefore there is not much hanging over the weekend till Monday.

I stayed in last night and feel a bit better today. Our new small group at church is meeting for the second time tonight. I have been praying a lot for this group because it feels like we are having difficulty getting started. I don't necessarily know what this means, but I do know that I should pray about it. We are starting a video series on Matthew and seeing where that takes us. I think it is a great idea but I just want to get something started.

Tomorrow will be the big invitation work day. Becca's mom has already started them, however there is much work left to do. I hope to post a picture of the invitation so you all can see it. We are very proud of the way they turned out.

Have a good weekend!

Another sick day - I want to feel better NOW!

Good evening from Fitzhugh Ave!

Well this cold is lingering on so I'm home tonight rather than with small group at Applebees. Today was a very exciting day in the blog world as there is a link at my friend Amelia and Ked's blog to mine. Click on the link in this entry or on the side and check them out.

If my math is correct, it is 78 days to the wedding. Time is flying by.

Well I'm having writers block so this is it for now. Maybe more later. We'll see.

Wow this week is flying by...

I cannot believe it is Wednesday already. This week is flying by. Tonight we have our engagement pictures. Better late than never. They should be posted on the Internet soon so I'll make a link on the blog to the pictures if you interested in seeing them or purchasing them.

More wedding related events are being scheduled. Counseling starts on the 12th and cake testing on the 6th.

Monday of this week was absolutely crazy. I was working on a project with our Perú office all day on Monday and ended up farther behind when I left than when I came in. I don't understand how that works. However, miraculously, within 10 minutes of arriving on Tuesday the problem was solved. How does that work??!! Oh well, I'm just glad they are up and running.

Yesterday afternoon I really thought I was in trouble. A member renewal was not done for Brasil and it did not appear that I was going to be able to do it. With my boss arriving back today I did want to have to tell him this story. Well, just as soon as the problem arose, the problem was corrected. How does that work??!!

Today is pretty calm so far but the day is young. That's about all for now folks. Enjoy your Wednesday.

Great day in God's house

I still am not sure what made this morning's worship service so good, but God used it in amazing ways. Pastor started his service leading us toward the Passion week. Also, after the service Becca and I had some great conversations with people at church. I am very happy for these opportunities for Becca to get to know people at Green Lake.

I am also so happy that a lady from my parent's church is organising a wedding shower for us in Cleveland. The shower will be on April 3rd at 1pm at Cathy Bennett's house (email me for information). It is encouraging to hear her excitement for putting this event together.

Well now I believe it is time for a Sunday afternoon nap. I have not had one in 3 weeks so here we go.

Until tomorrow...

Sick day

Well I have conceeded, I am sick. I think it was pretty much over when I had no voice last night at the Nash's. Am staying home today from meetings and such and really hope to be better tomorrow. We'll have to see.

May post more later but this is it for now.

This blog will soon be on chrisrobertson.net but I will let you all know when that happens.

Thursday nights are small group night and Becca & I have grown to appreciate our group so much of late. At present we are studying a book called Discipleship Of the Mind. This will be a very good book for our group as it stretches us and spurs some very good conversation.

Not much happening at work today so far. Tonight will be exciting as Becca and I are going to spend some time with the Nash's. They are such good friends and I appreciate them a lot.

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Greetings friends from all around the world!

I have now entered the Blogger world. There will be frequent posting on here, especially as the wedding draws nearer and nearer. If my calculations are correct (and if they are not there will be a correction), the big day is 86 days away. Becca and I have been very blessed with a lot of easy decisions so far. For example, we met with the organist and 30 minutes later all the music was decided. We have more things to decide, however we trust in the Lord for His help.

Well this is all for now. I hope these entries will be much more exciting in the future.