Redskins Sunday night matchup at Dallas

Sunday night's Redskins-Cowboys matchup marks the 93rd time the two clubs have played since their storied rivalry began in 1960. The two teams have played at least twice a year each regular season since 1961, with the exception of the strike-shortened 1982 season. The Redskins won both games in the 2005 season. In Week 2 of 2005, the Redskins orchestrated a memorable come-from-behind victory, as Mark Brunell found Santana Moss for two touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter and the Redskins won 14-13. It was the Redskins' first victory at Texas Stadium since 1995.

An Army of Ordinary People

My family will be attending the 2006 Central Florida House Church Conference sponsored by House 2 House ministries (click here to visit www.house2house.com). The theme of this years conference is "An Army of Ordinary People". We will be hearing about how God is using ordinary people to start churches in their own communities around the world. I know of at least two other families that my family fellowships with from time to time that will be attending. We are looking forward to a great weekend of fellowship and praying that God will use this weekend to help us to continue to see His will for our lives. I will post an post-conference report next week. You can find out more about this conference online here: www.anarmy.com.

Andrea Yates' Husband is Guilty!

Andrea Yates is guilty of killing her kids, we all know she did that. But we also know that she was mentally ill, her husband knew she was mentally ill, and I believe her husband is also guilty because he actually contributed to making her mental illness even worse, he should be held accountable for endargering his children. His one of those religious idiots who thinks mental illness is simply and issue with sin that can be prayed away.

These are the warning signs he had available to him, as reported in The New York Times:

• his wife's suicide attempt in June, 1999, about 6 months after the birth of her fourth child (diagnosis: post-partum psychosis and depression )
• signs of stress from having to take care of her father, who had Alzheimer's disease
• less than a month later, the husband finds her holding a knife to her neck (she describes hearing voices, she says she had a vision about getting the knife, she says she first had such a vision after the birth of her first child, she had stopped taking her medicine)
• the birth of the couple's fifth child, and also possibly the death of her father, cause additional episodes of depression and psychosis (between March and May she spends four stints at a psychiatric hospital, at one point her physician seeks involuntary commitment because she is catatonic and has scratched bald spots into her head)

Even without knowing anything further, this is not the type of person a rational person would leave five young children with. But the husband's contribution to the tragedy is more causative than just ignoring warning signs:

• the husband, described as "controlling" by one doctor, allows her only "two hours of personal time a week"
• after the birth of their fourth child and his wife's two suicide attempts, he doesn't change the decision with his now obviously mentally ill wife to have as many babies as nature will allowthe decisions to have more children and to home school the children come despite their psychologist's warning that these courses of action would not be in Mrs. Yates' best interest
• at one point during her hospitalizations, the husband puts pressure on her to leave the hospital, claiming that she was 90-95% normal, while she reports 70-75%
• he allows her to be discharged from the hospital for the last time prior to her murdering her children, even though records indicate that at the time she is still depressed and suicidal

A rationally thinking man would not have additional children with a wife who is obviously incapable of caring for even the four they already have. A rationally thinking man would not require the home-schooling of five children on a woman like Andrea Yates without the proper treatment. A rationally thinking man would not leave five young children alone with her.The severely mentally incapacitated state of Andrea Yates meant that decision-making fell by default to her husband, and he made some egregiously bad ones.

Lost Art of "One Anothering"

Here is R. Cody Smith's definition of oneanothering:

one·an·oth·er·ing (wun-e-nuth’er-ing) v. 1. To fulfill New Testament Biblical instructions for Christians regarding activities to be done to, for and with one another. –one·an·oth·ers n.

Meditate through the following list of verses and to try and imagine yourself as part of a group of people who regularly practice the art of "oneanothering".

• Loving one another (John 13:34)
• Forgiving one another (Ephesians 4:32)
• Accepting one another (Romans 15:7)
• Bearing with one another (Ephesians 4:2)
• Being devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
• Honoring one another (Romans 12:10)
• Greeting one another (2 Corinthians 13:12)
• Being hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
• Being kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
• Sharing with one another (Hebrews 13:16)
• Serving one another (Galatians 5:13)
• Carrying one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
• Building up one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• Encouraging one another daily (Hebrews 3:13)
• Comforting one another (1 Thessalonians)
• Stimulating one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24)
• Instructing one another (Romans 15:14)
• Admonishing one another (Colossians 3:16)
• Praying for one another (James 5:16)
• Confessing your sins to one another (James 5:16)
• Being of the same mind toward one another (Romans 12:16)
• Submitting to one another (Ephesians 5:21)

This list was taken from Authentic Relationships: Discover the Lost Art of "One Anothering" by Wayne and Clay Jacobsen. I ordered a copy of this book this week, and I am looking forward to reading it together with my wife. We just recently finsihed going through Brian Anderson's e-book, House Church, in chapter five he goes through eleven of these "one-another" commands, you can find his e-book online on both the Great Commission House Churches and the Milpitas Bible Fellowship Web sites.

A Christian Home

A Christian website, daily Blog and a ministry dedicated to motherhood, the family and a Christian Home; Offering resources for Men and Women, Bible studies and numerous articles and links for the instruction and encouragement of the family, and referrals to encourage mothers at home.

http://www.achristianhome.org/

Will the real Church please stand up?

The word Church in Scripture is always translated from the greek word "Ekklesia." The word is made up of two words, "ek" which means "out of" and "kaleo" which means "to call." Ekklesia therefore means "called out" and when used with a definite article means "the called out ones." This word has been translated as "church, assembly, congregation, gathering." Thus when Tyndale produced the first English translation of the Bible, he translated the word Ekklesia as "assembly." It is interesting to note that every place in Scripture where the word Church is used, it means the Ekklesia.

The word Ekklesia becomes clearer in the New Testament when it is used with its proper Biblical metaphors. The most common are "the body of Christ," "the bride of Christ," and "the living temple." Unfortunately the word church has become hijacked and comes with many religious connotations, though the most prevalent use denoting a building dedicated to worship with defined leaders and defined roles. Yet I am convinced that its true meaning is and has always been those people who love and follow Jesus Christ.

Source: New Testament Ekklesia

Start Your Day With Infinite Supply

This is from the Infinite Supply for June 27, 2006:

Religion seeks to reform a man; the Cross seeks to crucify him. Religion may fail to bring about the desired result, but the Cross never fails to achieve its end. Mankind will pursue morality, virtue, spirituality, even perform religious works and good deeds, in order to avoid death on a Cross. But there are no wounds, no scars, no evidence of having ever died and been made alive unto God. Either a man has never died, or he has died and been raised again. You cannot fake a resurrection.

If you don't already receive these inspiring daily emails you can subscribe online here.

BB&T Takes a Stand on Eminent Domain

In January BB&T announced that it would not lend money to private developers who want to build on land taken by force from citizens. I wrote the following letter to their corporate office:

I just read in the Washington Times that BB&T will not lend money to developers who plan to build commercial projects on land taken from private citizens through the power of eminent domain. I think this is great!!

I would love to support you by moving my account from Bank of America to BB&T, but need to when you will be opening a branch in Seminole County Florida.

I received an email back from them saying that they didn't have any branches in my area at the time, about two months later I saw a BB&T "coming soon" sign about four blocks down the street from my office.

Friday I will be attending their ribbon cutting ceremony to get more information about moving my accounts from Bank of America to BB&T.

Stay-At-Home Mom's 'Salary' Rises To $134,121

The cost of paying a stay-at-home mom for all the work she does is on the rise. Salary.com said if they got paid, stay-at-home moms would pull down $134,121 this year -- a raise of $2,650 from last year's theoretical salary. This 'salary' is based on a list of job titles that best matched a stay-at-home mom's definition of the work she does. Among them -- in the order of hours spent per week -- are housekeeper, day-care center teacher and cook.

Source: The Associated Press

Most of our jobs provide health benefits along with vacation time, as loving husbands we need to make sure our wives know they are appreciated and give them the "vacation time" they need on a regular basis for "mom time".

My Age Thirty Transition

I celebrated my 30th birthday this past weekend, no one believes me when I tell them I was born on "April Fool's Day". Christ started his earthly ministry at the age of 30. I know that God has been working in my life to prepare me for this new phase of my life, I am not sure what He has in store, but I know that He HAS been working! Please pray that God will continue His work in my life, and that I will be alert to His voice and His leading as I move into this new season in my life.