Welcome back!
This second post will layout the structure that I hope to keep for a while. I hope you benefit from these weekly thoughts and that God uses them to help you move forward in your personal spiritual discipleship.
Church Update
We are making progress in working on the look of the building from the outside. Many people have pitched in to help remove trees, bushes, and weeds. We had our metal roof prepped this week so we can seal it with a rubber membrane that is supposed to turn white when it dries. This will not only stop the leaks (hopefully), it will also make it look better (see the red/white roof in last week’s pictures) and maybe even deflect some of the summer heat.
We have not yet heard from the airport. Please keep praying.
Personal Update
Our three boys are now all in school (3rd, 2nd, and pre-K). Our daughter is two and colors while the boys are schooling. Saralynn homeschools them in the mornings, and works in the afternoons. I have 14 credits completed toward my Th.M. (Master in Theology) from Tyndale Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas and am working on my next class.
Scriptural Thought of the Week
(These may come from recent messages I’ve taught or heard, or my personal reading or studying.)
Some of our favorite verses guaranteeing our salvation in the end come from the first verses of Ephesians 1:
- “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (vs. 4)
- “predestined us to adoption as sons” (vs. 5)
- “we have obtained an inheritance” (vs. 11)
- “you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (vs. 13)
While all of these are true and wonderful promises, let us never forget that salvation is really all about God, not us:
- “predestined us…to the praise of the glory of His grace” (vs. 5-6)
- “obtained an inheritance…to the praise of His glory” (vs. 11-12)
- “sealed in Him…to the praise of His glory” (vs. 13-14)
Quote of the Week
I want to use this section to pass along something I read this week that struck a chord with me. I will give a detailed reference for you who may want to look it up yourselves. It will also give you an idea of what I’m reading right now.
…spiritual growth is a process. Maturity is measured by demonstrative growth in our love for God and for others. It is not a completed program or the acquisition of a skill, but a continual expression of love in our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationship with one another.
…
At North Point, we have divided “loving our neighbor” into two categories: those in the faith and those outside the faith. So we have defined spiritual maturity as continual progress in three vital relationships: a person’s relationship with God, with other believers, and with unbelievers.
Quoted from: Andy Stanley and Bill Willits, Creating Community: 5 Keys to Building a Small Group Culture (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2004), pp. 64-65
Talk to you next week,
Dan’l
I love the idea of having a blog we can visit to get updates about the church, your family and what is on your heart. Thanks for sharing, Daniel!
The automatic emails to let us know when you post a blog will be great. Thanks.
Blessings,
Sheldon
I am so thrilled that you are working on your master’s degree. It is so exciting!To complete do you need about 40 credit?
No, it’s a 127-credit hour program. If I were to eventually go after a doctorate, that would be about 40 more hours.
Dan’l