Category: Uncategorized
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church sign is on
I have been in Fairdale for nearly 8 years, and I have never seen our church sign turned on. Its a big nice sign but it does not light up. It should, but it didn’t. Well, today with the hard work of several good men in the church, the church sign was fixed. 8 brand new ultra bright bulbs! It is so bright and so nice. Heres a pic. May it further our ability to make God’s Glory shine bright! -
“All… were safe in the ark”
While reading some Charles Spurgeon today, I found myself so thrilled and delighted to know that I am owned by Jesus.
While commenting on Matthew 24:39 “and they were unaware until the flood came, and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man.” (the early chapters of Genesis and the theological themes that go along with it are some of my most favorite Biblical subjects), Spurgeon says,
“All, blessed be God, were safe in the ark; no ruin entered there. From the huge elephant down to the tiny mouse all were safe. The timid hare was equally secure with the courageous lion, the helpless lamb as safe as the laborious ox. All are safe in Jesus. My soul, are you in Him”
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pics of Noah
Here is a picture of me with my three sons. My wife has posted lots of great pictures on our family blog. Check it out joshjr.blogspot.com
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Noah’s Lullaby
When JJ was born (January 2, 2008), I wrote him a lullaby. I have memorized it, and I sing it now to all of our sons. I had thought that I would be able to write each of them a lullaby, but I have just adapted this one to fit them. It is pretty much the same lullaby. Either way, it expresses my heart in life and fatherhood.
**NOAH’S LULLABY**
Hush little Noah don’t you cry
Daddy’s gonna sing you a lullaby
I hate to see you crying red-faced with tears
Let me tell you ‘bout us in the coming years
The joy of rearing you can make this grown man weap
Right here in my arms you can fall asleep
& I’ll stare at your face & kiss your chubby cheeks
Watch you start to grow in the coming weeks
God gave you a great mother who takes care of you
In love together we will teach you what’s true
two big brothers J & E you can look up to
You become like them, yes I hope you do
It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life
Like trusting in God & faithfully loving your wife
Like serving other people & devotion to the sword
The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord
Son, I wanna teach you to throw and catch a ball
& I can hardly wait until you learn to crawl
We can walk to the park & I can push you on the swings
Raise you up right so you’ll appreciate things
I wanna teach you about pets like cats and dogs
And how to catch lizards, turtles, & frogs
I’ll show ya how to catch fish & how to bait a hook
And how to treat a girl and how to read a book
And how to play with kids and not be weak
Playing outdoor games like hide and seek
I wanna teach you about bruises, scars, and scabs
And how to play wrestle and throw left-hand jabs
I’ll teach how to ride a bike & how to climb trees
I‘ll teach you about caterpillars, birds, & bees
I wanna pick you up when you fall & scrape your knees
Teach you how to pray, and say “yes ma’am” & “Please”
& we can walk to the creek, I’ll show you how to skip a rock
I’ll show you how to play sports & how to wear a jock
I wanna teach you how to not get upset by jokes
& how to be grateful & respect your folks
Noah, I wanna teach you how to love your mom
& how to read the Bible, a daily Proverb & Psalm
It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life
Like trusting in God & faithfully loving your wife
Like serving other people & devotion to the sword
The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord
Son, I wanna teach you how to be a man
How to look ‘em in the eye & firmly shake their hand
How to keep your word & always work real hard
How to pay your bills on time & how to mow the yard
I’ll teach you how to keep a job & not be lazy
How to speak the truth in love and not be hazy
I wanna show you how to love & how to be a friend
And when to compromise and when to take a stand
And how to apologize and also how to forgive
Son, these are simple lessons on how to live
And life is not easy, it can be quite hard
Keep your eyes on Christ & don’t be caught off guard
It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life
Like trusting in God & faithfully loving your wife
Like serving other people & devotion to the sword
The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord
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God is enough
Lecrae came out with a new CD recently. Its called Rehab.It is one of my favorite CDs of all time. It is so good. I am learning and growing so much in my life with Christ from this new solid Biblical hip-hop music. (I plan to write a post soon on why I think you should consider listening to this music too.)
His music teaches me so much. Real quickly, all of us know the power of the preached Word in our lives. Preaching the Word is so mighty in our lives. Well the amount of lyrics in a rap song is so many that it is like a sermon. So when I listen to even 10 minutes of Lecrae or Trip Lee or Flame, I am loaded with Truth. It has honestly been life changing to me over the last few years.
One of the songs on the new CD is called “God is enough”.
Here are some of the lyrics that impacted me today:
“Used to want a lot of things, all the stuff thats on TV
Education, cars, and clothes, Fashion lights and jewelry,
(Focused on the wrong stuff) now I got my eyes on You and now I know that
God is enough/ (3x) You are enough/ Never too much/ more than enough/
God is enough/ You are enough for me”That is only the chorus. The lyrics to these songs are so loaded with Bible, Jesus, Cross, redemption, and life.
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truth comforts
The last day and a half have been a little difficult for us here in our home. Because of that our bedtime routines with the boys have been altered somewhat. With JJ that means it has been challenging, but with Eli it has been sweet.
The last 2 nights I have simply taken him to his bed, held him in my arms, laid his head on my shoulder, prayed with him and then sang to him.
After those five minutes or so, I lay him down and he goes to sleep. It is rewarding to be a dad.
But here is where truth comforts, both nights I sang to him this song (The Solid Rock).
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.While singing this old classic hymn to my son and hoping it will settle him down and put him to sleep, God reminded me of this great truth. And I was comforted by it.
All my hope in life lies completely in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
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football team dinners
Every AWAY game this season for the Fairdale High School football team, our church fed them a pre-game meal at our church. It is awesome! On those Fridays, once they are out of school, all the players and coaches walk down to the church. Our church folks serve them, love them, and then I speak to them. We love supporting the school and the team. We are hoping they do well in the playoffs.Here is a picture of the whole team, the coaches, and our church people who help serve them.
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Homecoming 2010 video
We showed this to everyone at church on Homecoming Sunday. We are praying for God to give more and more people a burdened & passionate heart to see the people of our town come to know Jesus in a real way! May God use us to make it happen.
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she makes me proud
I thank God for my wife.
Proverbs 31:28 says:
“Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her”In the last 2 and a half years, Valeria has had three children. Three big boys at that! (JJ was 7 pounds 9 ounces, Eli was 8 pounds 12 ounces, and Noah was 8 pounds 15 ounces.) That means that in the last 42 months (since April of 2007) Valeria has been pregnant for 27 of those months. Wow! That is not easy. And all the while she has never complained to me about it. Honestly, she seems to enjoy it. As difficult as it may be being pregnant and having babies.
With that said, I am so thankful for her. I love her. I thank God for her. Just as Proverbs 31 shows, I want to praise her. And I hope our children will rise up and and call her blessed.
She is truly a blessing to me and the boys.
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