Mid-course corrections

It was time for a mid-course correction. Prayer had atrophied to a rushed and thoughtless routine. I took time today to re-think my priorities and how prayer fits in. I revamped part of my prayer list and renewed my commitment to following it.

We all need mid-course corrections. Make this day a turning to prayer. Make some new resolve. Try some new venture with God.

Presbytery

I returned yesterday from Scottsdale, AZ, the site of our latest Presbytery meeting. As usual it was a great time. At these meetings the elders of the churches in the area (for us, New Mexico, Arizona, and El Paso) meet to guide, pray, and hear updates on the spread of the kingdom throughout our area.

One highlight of this meeting was the attendance of Dr Lig Duncan (of Together for the Gospel fame). He was in town for Ligonier's West Coast Conference and came early to preach and meet with us.

He delivered an edifying sermon on preaching and then spent an hour of Q&A with us. We focused several questions on the role of women in the church, which he handled nicely, but to me the most helpful response he gave concerned unity in the PCA. You can hear both recordings here. (My goofy question to Dr Duncan is about 4:30 minutes into the Q&A session).

Evangelism Linebacker

This copy-cat video of the old Terry Tate commercials is adapted for Christians who neglect evangelism. It's pretty clever.



(HT: Christ is Deeper Still)

State Fair 2008

Kristin and the kids recently went to the New Mexico State Fair. Somehow she managed to take some pictures.

I'm going (November 1st)

I got my ticket right here.

Bedtime routines

Pastor John Piper recently answered a question on how he handles spiritual training in the home. It's short and good, especially this part:

"And then when we put them to bed, we tucked them in, blessed them with

The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace,
and joy, and hope, and love, and a good night's rest,
and someday a godly husband. (Talitha will always laugh when I say this last line.)

And then I sing a song for Talitha. And then I give her a big hug. There is a very definite routine that we walk through."

Read the whole thing.

Parental High

I've never experienced the (mythical?) runner's high. Sitting on the sofa worn-out after a run this evening Kristin and I divided up the nightly routine of putting the kids to bed and the house in order. It was then that we realized that there is a "parental high".

Here are a few experiences that can bring it on:
- Putting the kids to bed at night
- Having dinner together while a sitter watches the children
- Sleeping through the night
- No more diapers!

Space Cadet

The boys and I had a great time playing "extreme lazer tag" at Hinkle this weekend. At the end of the game you get a detailed print-out that shows how you performed in the game; here are a few of my stats:

Game Duration: 10 minutes
# times you were hit: 46
# opponents you hit: 9
# shots you fired: 222
accuracy: 4%

Apparently, I was a walking target board. Each time you're hit your gun turns off for 5 seconds. Since I was hit 46 times in 10 minutes, I was "off" for almost half of the game. Not too good. Or in Hinkle's rating: I'm a Space Cadet.

Moore: what adoption teaches about Adoption

No church, no problem? (pt 2)

I'm making a point of inviting more people to church, for two reasons. First, I'd like to see new people added to our number. Second, and more importantly, people need a church.

I've invited two families recently; neither have come (yet). What puzzles me is that both families profess to be Christians and much about their lives back it up. But neither attend any church in town, and they're okay with that. In a city this large with many church choices this strikes me as oddly inconsistent.

Labor Day Road Trip - Bandelier