A Heritage of Faith

"You have the faith of your mother, Eunice, and your grandmother, Lois." (2 Timothy 1:5)

I have two thoughts when I read this verse. #1--Am I living out the faith of my parents and grandparents? #2--Am I passing along the faith that I've been given to my children?

I've been given a great faith. My dad was a pastor and if I'm not mistaken my dad's grandfather was a pastor.  My mom and dad invested many years in serving God through established churches as well as starting new missions. In addition I have a couple of books on my shelf that describe faith experiences of my ancestors.  Allow me to share from one of those books, One Corner of Heaven, which is a history of Floyd County, Texas.

"A few years after Carr's Chapel was built, the L.A. Williams family moved into our midst. True to custom, several families soon called on them and invited them to Sunday School and church. Though not affiliated with any denomination, they began church attendance. When the revival was held that summer, their third child, Aaron, about nine years old, surprised us on Sunday morning when he walked down the aisle alone and made his decision for Christ. Truly a little child led them, for his father soon followed, then his mother and the other children, Raymond, Lois, Larue, Chloma, and Aldine. It was a glorious sight as the entire family stood at the altar rail, accepting Christ and joining the church."

One of those children who accepted Christ that Sunday morning in 1909 happens to be my mom's father, and my grandfather (Raymond).  I've had the honor of standing at the altar rail of Carr's Chapel in the very place where my grandfather and great-grandfather found Jesus. I'm grateful for my heritage of faith and for a community of believers that cared enough to invite a new family to church. I'm here because of them.

I have a Teen Driver...

My oldest son's driver permit arrived in the mail today. He's fifteen and we are driving through this important rite of passage that all American youth look forward to with great anticipation. We have made a few drives around the neighborhood and have even ventured across town to the church building. I have to admit, he's not half bad and I'm not nearly as scared as I thought I would be. With this subject in mind, let me share a few sobering statistics:

16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age. it is estimated that 16-year-olds are 3 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.

In the decade of the 1990s, 63,000 teens ages 15-19 died in traffic crashes, which is more than 120 each week.

Two teens in a car increases the likelihood of a crash by 86%, three teens by 182%, according to research conducted by Johns Hopkins University.

Only about 20% of teen driving occurred at night, but approximately 50% of teen fatalities occurred during the hours of darkness.

Traffic crashes are the number one cause of death among the children and young adults.

The number one cause of death for 15-20 year olds is car collissions.

53% of teen deaths occur on weekends.

There are plenty more statistics provided at www.5myteen.com.

My Dad's Wedding...

I recently made the trip to Texas to stand by my dad as he remarried. Here is a picture of my dad and his new bride, her two children, my sisters, my brother, and myself.

On Turning 15...

Tomorrow, on July 7th, 2007, my oldest son will turn 15. Our house is noisy with several of his good friends who are spending the night and eating my food. Jaren was born in the 7th year of my marriage on the 7th day of the 7th month. I have always felt that God was communicating grace and blessing through such a symbolic birth. We named him, "Jaren", which according to some baby book somewhere long ago discarded means, "to sing". Jaren's mom (my wife) absolutely loves music and is a gifted singer/songwriter. Music has been a big part of both of our families of origin and so the name seemed appropriate. Unfortunately (at least at this point), Jaren is not real big on singing. He is however an awesome guitarist as the picture illustrates. He can play "Jesus Freak" with the best of them, though my personal favorite is his version of the "King of the Hill" theme. Jaren has been blessed to be a native Texan by birth (Amarillo), which helps to give him a positive outlook on life. (You don't have to be born in Texas to be useful to God--but it doesn't hurt!) Jaren spent a week in Juarez, Mexico recently seeing how much of the rest of the world lives and sharing a bit of what Jesus has put in his heart. I am very encouraged to get reports of Jaren's involvement in Bible studies at church. He is a smart kid with many intelligent ideas (like his dad). Jaren recently taught a Bible study on "Bald Men of the Bible". We love to watch the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, and selected cartoons. Jaren's an awesome cook as well. I gave him my pack of "Southwestern Chili Mix" from the Southwestern Seminary Alumni Luncheon in San Antonio and he turned it into an amazing meal. I wouldn't be surprised if Jaren became a chef one day. He is a great cook! He has a gentle and peaceable heart. Jaren can quickly grow emotional when he sees someone hurting. I don't mean to imply that he is not capable of showing his age--he does often! I just mean that I see Jesus in his eyes a whole lot of the time. Tomorrow, my oldest son turns 15 and I couldn't be prouder! This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased!

Miscellaneous...

At 5:15 this morning I helped unload the truck for the food distribution that is held at my church once a month.

At 5:45 this morning my 14-year-old son left for Juarez, Mexico as part of our student mission team.

At 7:30 this morning, we will leave for the nearby community of Greeley where my 12-year-old son will participate in his league championship baseball tournament.

First Win!

My youngest son, who is 12, won his first baseball game of the season in the Northern Colorado 12 and under Competitive League. They faced the Fort Collins Muckdogs who embarrassed the team last year with a 20-0 romping. This year was different! Final score....18-13 Windsor Wizards! My son, who is playing his first year in the competitive league, was 1 for 3 with a sacrifice and 3 RBI's. He contributed defensively from left field where he made a couple of crucial outs. The Wizards face Cheyenne on Thursday...

By the way, I missed a Trustee meeting as well as a Decision Counselor follow-up meeting at the church in order to be at the game. Priorities? God, Family, Church . . .

Snow Pictures...

I thought I would share a few pictures of our winter wonderland here in Colorado. These pictures were taken around Christmas time. Some of this snow is still on the ground. This first picture is me and my youngest son clearing the driveway. The second picture is of our house from the street before we began digging the driveway out.