Family Driven Faith

Joy and I recently started reading a book together called Family Driven Faith by Dr. Voddie Baucham. So far, I think it's pretty outstanding! Brian and Keri turned us on to Voddie Baucham back when we were in North Carolina, and he's got some great stuff to read and listen to. I subscribed to his podcast awhile ago, but haven't really listened to too many of his sermons. The ones that I have listened to are very good though.

I'm only on like the third chapter, but I've been convicted and challenged already! Basically, what I've gotten so far out of Family Driven Faith is that the salvation and sanctification of our children is of the utmost importance. But it doesn't start there; first it starts with my marriage. Which is the convicting part for me. If my marriage with Joy is not loving, God-honoring, and focused on Him, then it will be difficult to point my children to the Lord and show them how to honor Him. Very convicting!

Speaking of marriage, it is Joy and my 2nd anniversary this Sunday, July 4th. Pretty crazy, we've already been married for 2 years! It is amazing. I look back on these two years and see that I have been a fool sometimes in the way that I lead my family and treat my wife. It is a miracle that we are still married, but only by God's unfailing grace do we continue on. I am so undeserving of such a wonderful woman who has followed me halfway around the world and who has been patient with my hard-headedness and pride. She is very patient and understanding of military life, and she is truly my better half that keeps me sane and somewhat level-headed (as best she can, lol). I look forward to welcoming Isaiah to our family, and to see the kind of mother that Joy will be.

I don't really write on this blog very often, even though I have a lot of stuff that I'm going through. I guess I'll just chock it up to laziness. I'll try to be better about it. I will say one thing though: I really really really miss my family. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on everything that is going on with them back in the states. My nephews are growing bigger, my parents' business is growing, things are happening with my brothers, Joy's parents are going through a different stage in life, and her brother Jon is taking college, and things are happening at Grace Bible Church and definitely Maranatha Baptist Church that I wish that I could be a part of. I feel like my family and friends back home are living life without me, and I'm watching life pass away in front of me. Cause I'm kind of stuck here in Okinawa, and everyone's getting older and doing different things and enjoying new things, and I'm going to come back and will have missed out on all sorts of birthdays and milestone events in my family members' lives. I guess this is the tough part about being in the military. Or well, at least ONE of the tough parts. Buuuuut..... I know that God has placed me here and that I need to be content with where I am for the time being. It's just hard.

Future Grace

Just started reading the book Future Grace by John Piper.

I've only read the first chapter, but so far it's great.

Future Grace.

Faith in future grace, to be more exact.

I have not thought about something like faith in quite some time. I've been caught up with daily activities and work and the stress of everyday life, and just trying to stay afloat spiritually by doing the small things right like devotions and stuff. I have been seriously lacking in the faith department. Maybe that is why I struggle as much as I do to stay faithful? Because I have little faith....

I have definitely been convicted of my lack of faith, having just started this book. And I also ran across a good video from John Piper from his "Battling Unbelief" DVD, concerning this topic. It's a good listen:

I pray that my faith would grow as I read and understand more of what God has

done and will do for me.

What Makes Bad Language Bad?

I have long wondered that very question, probably since junior high or something. What makes a curse word a curse word? After all, it's just a word. Is it the Bible that makes it that? Is it culture or our society? I've actually deliberated with people on this very issue, not the least of which was my dad on numerous occasions.

But what makes a bad word a bad word? When I first started thinking about this idea, it was mainly to try to figure out if it was okay to say curse words, then I could be "cool" and curse around my non-believing friends, or even in some instances, my believing friends. It was actually pretty dumb; I was just trying to justify my motives. But after doing some research, and learning that at different times in history, different words/sayings were considering curse words, I came to the conclusion that our society and culture dictate what are considered curse words.

For example, around the life time of John Bunyan (17th Century), if anyone was to swear by any of the saints, it was considered cursing, i.e. 'By St. Mary', or 'By St. Nicholas beard', etc. A person would be using their name in vain, and it was EXTREMELY offensive to those who were religious. Of course, to me today, it just looks like a prepositional phrase. Nothing offensive about it. And quite possibly our curse words in contemporary society would be as nothing to those that lived in the 17th Century. So I came to this conclusion sometime in college that my society and culture decide what is a bad word. And since it has been decided that the 'S' word is bad, then as a believer who strives to glorify God with my life, I will refrain from saying that word because I want to avoid all appearance of evil. I do not want to cause a weaker brother to stumble, and so on and so forth. And I could state several other reasons from scripture why I as a Christian, would not say something that the world understands as unholy.

So after coming to this conclusion awhile back, and being somewhat satisfied with it, I recently came across an awesome video that I think does this topic justice, and finally settled the issue of it in my heart.

The reason that I decided to write this blog on this issue, is mostly because I have often often often struggled with cursing/swearing in the workplace. Meaning, I am continually tempted to swear to fit in with the Marines I work with. And I tell myself, no, I am a testimony to God and that is not the image that I want to portray. Then, my flesh gets on me, and tells me that it's ok to swear, because after all, they are just words. So I get tempted externally AND internally and it's quite the struggle sometimes. Obviously, God is gracious. And He does not allow me to be tempted above that I am able, and I praise Him for that. But this video was so awesome for me to see, and an encouragement to me, that I figured I would share it on my blog, as well as my background ponderings on the issue.