Reformation Day

"It was 491 years ago today that Martin Luther nailed his world-changing 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. These theses included rebukes to ungodly fear and superstition. Five hundred years ago, sometime near October 31, a baby named John Calvin was conceived who would dedicate his life to eradicating an ungodly fear of superstitious beliefs and proclaiming the gospel of grace. His emphasis on reformation, revival, and the sufficiency of Scripture had such far-reaching implications for nations like the United States that he has been described by Christian and secular scholars alike as the true founding father of America. The Reformers did something that was very scary to the world of their day. They stood against all forms of dark superstitions which grip the minds and souls of men. It was their emphasis on the fear of the Lord and the wisdom of Holy Scripture that was used of God to liberate untold numbers of men and women."

So, in honor of celebrating the German Reformation, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther:

"Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."

Slow Fade

Slow Fade

Our sermon today was from Genesis 19: 30-38. Although Scripture refers to Lot as a righteous man, we're reminded of how easy it can be to slip into a life of sin and not realize how it took root! As our pastor exhorted, we must guard ourselves against sin. It can creep in slowly and gain a foothold in our lives if we're not careful. While driving home, and discussing the sermon, we were reminded of these lyrics.......thought they were quite fitting!

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Hope you're having a restful Lord's Day!

Church Mission Trip

Church Mission Trip (pics)

Rio Grande Bible Institute-Radio Esperanza

The trip was fantastic and much was accomplished in the short time we were there. As I write, families are still there working hard and will return later in the week. The Rio Grande Bible Institute's mission is to train missionaries and pastors to go into Mexico to spread the Gospel and minister to the people. Our purpose in being there was to help with various projects ranging from demolition work to picking up nails from recent roofing work. There was much to do and there was certainly a job for everyone! One of the neatest aspects of the trip was watching whole families work together and be productive. Even the small children were given jobs and were diligent to complete them. So often mission trips are reserved for youths and adults, assuming young children are too little to do much! Well, may I encourage your churches to plan family mission trips and watch the love, learning, and hard work that takes place! These kids were so sweet and very eager to do ANY job, even out in the heat of the day!

I took many pictures and tried to post just a fraction of them, although there are still many. I'm posting these mainly for the benefit of my family and church family that could not come. But if you don't fit into these categories, I hope you will enjoy them anyway!

We all stayed in the student dorms, specifically, the men's dorms. We were quite comfortable.

The Warren boys settling in.............

Our family settling in ...........

The rest of our family settling in...........

Our brood............

It's time for bed.........

Julie, CJ, Blair and Melody up early preparing breakfast............

With full bellies, it's time to get to work........

Josh and David on plumbing repair duty.........

Greg on mudding and tapping duty.......

And under Daddy's tutelage, Seth learned mudding and taping.......

Curtis had to repair a tractor tire...........

Dirk (our pastor) had fun knocking down a wall in a bathroom........

And Brandon joined the fun.............

Bethany contributed by building a log cabin..........Great Job!

Bethany also helped look after our little ones and much, much more.........


There were even jobs for mommies and babies..........I was the "Magnet Lady"

Malachi helped pick up nails and metal with this handy magnet.........

This is why we had to do this.......the boys cracked me up by how excited they'd get over their new found "treasure"................

Seth lifting the magnet to release the nails into the box.........

Sophia tried her hand at magnet pulling, but it was harder than it looked........

We celebrated Ethan's second birthday while on the trip. Our thoughtful pastor made a trip to the store and bought this cake. It was a sweet birthday..........

Here's Ethan getting ready to dig in............

Ethan's new best friend, CJ............

There's always time for music..........

Amy and Chey singing Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee in English and Spanish.........

And to end my photo journal, here are some of our families before Sunday morning worship. I was unable to get all the families photographed........I apologize for missing some.........

It was an amazing trip and we look forward to doing it again soon! Thank you to the Rio Grand Bible Institute for allowing us the privilege to come with our families to work with you!

Again I say.........Soli Deo Gloria!!!

Purity Ring

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Psalm 51:10

One of things we had been looking forward to since Cheyenne was little in an effort to guard her heart was presenting her with a purity ring. We have known people through the years who have made this an important event in their families and it has encouraged us to consider the same.

The purpose of presenting the ring is for the young person to be reminded of his/her commitment to flee any situation that might compromise their commitment to abstinence, but it is also a reminder for the parents to encourage the young person, through accountability and prayer, by wearing the ring.

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 

1 Timothy 6:11

Last October, we were finally able to present a ring to our oldest daughter on her fifteenth birthday. It was a ceremony filled with memories, commitment, and prayer. It was one of the most beautiful and meaningful occasions in our family and one we look forward to doing with the rest of our children in the years to come.

In the weeks leading up to Cheyenne's birthday, we began planning. We hunted and purchased this ring. We wanted something pretty and feminine, but also something that wasn't too expensive; in the event it is lost we can easily replace it. We also spent time developing "the ceremony". Greg thought long and hard about how he wanted to present the ring to his daughter. It was well worth the planning......it was so sweet!

On the day of her birthday, we celebrated throughout the day just as we normally would. She opened her gifts that morning, saving the ring for later. After dinner and the cake, it was time!

Greg began the ceremony by sharing stories from Cheyenne's early childhood through the present. She was brought to tears as she listened to her daddy reminisce through the years stories of laughter, growth, and testimonies of God's faithfulness. Greg told of stories that even I had forgotten. It was precious and beautiful!

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  1 Timothy 4:12

Once we were all good and teary-eyed, Greg presented the ring. By accepting the ring, she is making a commitment to God, her parents, and to the man God has chosen to be her husband, to remain pure.  Greg then placed the ring on her ring finger and led our family in prayer, which concluded the "ceremony"!

Words cannot describe how precious this day was and how meaningful this was to Cheyenne. Not only did the presentation signify and encompass the beauty of purity, it also showed Cheyenne how much we love her and our level of commitment and protection over her. 

As an additional resource, here is a site I recently came across called Purity Pledge . It's a family business of hand crafted purity rings and lockets.

The American Church

The New Gospel: Appealing but Not Revealing

I always enjoy coming across great articles that contain a meaty bite! It's in regards to the state of the American church and how we've become more like "cotton candy" rather than "holding up the standard of holiness"!

It's a bit lengthy, but well worth the read!!!

Read it here.