I couldn't help but get a kick out of these...

Although I normally make serious posts, I couldn't help but smile at a couple of articles I read today:

1. I follow eating contests closely, so this situation was of immense concern.
2. I also follow golf closely, and this would make for quite a memorable round of golf.

Both of these stories brought a smile to my face.

Curtis

from The Valley of Vision

Have you ever read a convicting prayer, and been unsure as to whether you can pray it honestly before a God who can search our hearts? I read this in a book called The Valley of Vision which is a collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Here are some excerpts from a prayer entitled "Self-Knowledge."

"It is a good day to me when thou givest me a glimpse of myself;"

"My country, family, church fare worse because of my sins."

"Show me how to know when what is lawful comes from an evil principle."

How convicting to see myself, but how refreshing to know that God sees me through Christ!

Curtis

Back to Blogging

I have taken a couple of weeks off of blogging, but I thought I would share a couple of random thoughts:

• Having a little girl has to be one of the best things I have experienced in life!
• Although people have asked about my wife and my new daughter, they have been quick to ask about my son as well. I have realized that Canaan has endeared himself to so many people. He is fortunate to be so loved, and I am blessed to have a son with so much personality.
• My prayer for my daughter is that she inherit the sweet spirit of my wife. She already has gotten her mom's good looks. :-)
• I am blessed to be among so many friends here at BBC who have shown their kindness and love for me in so many ways.

I am reminded in so many ways of the grace of God.
Curtis

Re-Read

I think the best books that I read are the books that I read for the second time. Maybe it is my anticipation of knowing the content, but God seems to use "re-reading" books in a significant way in my life. I actually have 3 re-reads going on right now. They are all encouraging and teaching me greatly.

• Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament - This is a book I had to read for a seminary class. It may be in my top 5 favorite books. It's not normal that I want to read a book I was required to read, but this is a HUGE exception.
• The Cross-Centered Life - I talked about this in a sermon I preached last year. It is a great short book that I have come to love.
• Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God - I am reading this for a sermon I am preaching Sunday. It has been heavily influential in encouraging me to share the gospel with confidence.

As I said, I love re-reads.

Curtis

A Morning Challenge

I was listening to a song this morning. It is called "Surrender All." It was written by Rich Dalmas. As I listened to it, I realized that God was speaking to my heart. You might be challenged by it as well. Here are the words...

Take all I am, Lord, and all that I cling to
You are my Savior I owe everything to
Take all the treasures that lie in my storehouse
They cannot follow when I enter Your house

So I surrender all to You
I surrender all

Take all my cravings for vain recognition
Fleshly indulgence and worldly ambition
I want so much Lord to make You the focus
To serve You in secret and never be noticed

Take all my hunger for all that’s forbidden
Every desire and sin I keep hidden
Search me and know me I want to bring to You
A life that is holy and sanctified through You

You can listen to the song (or even purchase it) by going here.

Curtis

"One Thing" Songs

I preached on Sunday from Psalm 27:4, encouraging all of us to think about "one thing." If you use iTunes, I have made an iMix with some songs that help me to keep my mind on "one thing." You can access it here.

If you don't use iTunes, clicking the link will probably not be beneficial!

Camp and other important student ministry information

We are less than one month away from camp. Why is that important to you? Well if you are of age and have not signed up, your time is running out. If your son or daughter has not signed up, their time is running out. We will be making a t-shirt order 2 weeks out and to make sure that you get one and the size you want, you must be signed up. You do not want to miss out on this great week. With all the lake activities, the music and just being away from all the day-to-day hastles, who can beat it? It is a great time to draw closer to God and build fellowship within our student ministry. If you need more information just give Christie or me a call at the church and we will help you all we can. We also have scholarships for those who need help.

We are starting a Student Ministry parent newsletter. You can sign up for this newsletter by sending us your email address. Keep up with what is going on in the student world with this newsletter.

We have a few spots for the Student Mission Trip in July. Give us a call if you are interested.

--Lee

Skydiving without a parachute

I read this quote today in preparation for a passage I am teaching on tonight. It is almost startling to grasp. It is from this sermon manuscript by John Piper.

"Entertainment-saturated people who do not treasure Christ above all are like skydivers who think that the wind passing through their fingers at 120 miles an hour is the ultimate thrill of being alive when in fact they have no parachutes and the gravity that pulls them inexorably to the ground is the wrath of God."

I think I don't grasp the seriousness of people's condition apart from Christ. God help me to do so more and more.

Curtis

Two great verses I read this morning...

Actually, I read a lot more than two great verses, I think I must have read 200 great verses this morning. But, these were some of the ones that really spoke to me.

Concerning Prayer - "But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness." (Psalm 69:13) What an awesome way to pray!

Concerning our thoughts of God - "May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, "God is great!" (Psalm 70:4) I love the exclamation points!!!

God's Word is like a garden that produces fruit you can pick EVERY time you go to it. God has blessed us by giving it to us.

Curtis

80 years

Today, I will have the privilege of preaching at one of our members' funeral. He was 82 years old. Last night, I was reminded of how many of our members (and my friends) are 80+. Eighty years is a lot of years on this planet. As I thought about that a little bit, I thanked God for the increase in life expectancy that we are blessed with today. It was not the case in the past, and is not the case in many developing countries.

I guess my thanksgiving was somewhat selfish in a way. I know that these people await a glorious future in the presence of Jesus, and often struggle with their health here. However, I am privileged to learn from them and be blessed by them being here. So, although we are not promised another breath, I am glad that many members of BBC have been given 80 years worth of breaths to impact multiple generations.

Curtis

Recommendation

Hey, I came across this article, and it got my attention, so I wanted to share it with you. I am not normally an alarmist, but this bothered me.

Curtis

A Great Privilege

Yesterday, I had a great privilege during our staff meeting. Our staff broke up into prayer groups, and my prayer partner for the time was the Pastor of our Hispanic Ministries, Carlos Betancourt. I love Carlos' humility and zeal. He asked me for ways that he could pray for me. I shared them with him. And then he asked if he could pray in Spanish, his native language. Of course, I said "Yes!"

As we prayed together and for each other in English and Spanish, I was reminded that our God is not worshiped by one race and one language alone. He is not an American deity. He is the God of the universe, worshiped and prayed to by Asians, Africans, Australians, and yesterday by someone from the US and someone from Ecuador.

I think that was the highlight of my day!

Curtis