What a great thought

Puritans just knew their stuff!! I actually found this quoted on Monergism.com. Great site.

Glory follows afflictions, not as the day follows the night but as the spring follows the winter; for the winter prepares the earth for the spring, so do afflictions sanctified prepare the soul for glory. - Richard Sibbes

Gripped by Grace

"A Christian or a Religious Secularist, Which am I?"

The following couple of paragraphs are in the new book, "The End of Secularism" by Hunter Baker.

I have only read the introduction online but it looks interesting. The reason I have placed this in my blog is that as I read what he said about himself in his days before he was a Christian, I realized he describes many Christians today.

I hope you will read it and think.

"I believed in God, but I didn’t see what difference that made to anything outside my private world. Private religion is at the heart of secularism. My relationship with God was simple. If I felt fear, I asked him to protect me. If I wanted, I asked him to provide. His character was not particularly of interest to me. The God who existed in my mind during my life up until college was essentially a cosmic genie.

Beyond the realm of my personal desires and wishes, I saw no place for God other than in ceremonies like baptisms, weddings, and funerals. That god is an accessory to occasions. He is like a magical charm designed to do what we want him to do. There are times when we bring him out with ornaments, bows, and ribbons. Otherwise, we box him up in the attic and only occasionally remember or contemplate him. For me, the private god-in-a-lantern model was the appropriate way to think about God and/or religion."

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

The Prayer We Parents Rarely Pray

This is actually a quote from Doug Wolter @ Life2gether. I wanted to share it with you.




We’ve all been there before as parents.

Your child has been told what to do and doesn’t do it.
You’re tired and irritated.
You have no patience left in your parenting tank.
And so, you yell at your child (and perhaps even discipline your child) in anger and frustration.

But what good does it do?

Even though you took charge of the situation, your heart feels empty and frustrated and so does your child’s.

Let’s rewind the tape.

Your child has been told what to do and doesn’t do it.
Instead of reacting in anger, you acknowledge the fact that you are tired and lacking in patience.

So before speaking to your child, you speak first to God.
Just a simple prayer asking Him something like,

"Father, I need your help right now.
I need your Spirit to give me patience and wisdom to talk with my child.
I can’t do it on my own.
I need you and my child needs you.
Without you, Jesus, I can do nothing.
So be with me now as I go.
Open up my heart and my child’s heart to you."

With a simple prayer such as this one, we take our parenting out of our hands and put it into God’s hands. We admit we cannot parent on our own. And so we pray a simple prayer of dependence … a simple prayer of reliance … a simple prayer of surrender.

This is the prayer we parents rarely pray. But I wonder how it would change us, and I wonder how it would change our families.

Of Tyrants and Moral Busybodies

Wow, it is as if C.S. Lewis lived in the USA today.


“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
-C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock, p. 292.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

The Holy God

"Some people talk as if meeting the gaze of absolute goodness would be fun. They need to think again.".
C.S. Lewis


Consider this passage of scripture to support Lewis's statement:
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."Heb. 10:32

Think about it.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Man and Evil

In preparing for my Sunday morning message on "The Christians View of Man" I found the following quote form Albert Einstein, not a believer by the way.

"The world is too dangerous to live in-

not because of people who do evil,

but because of people who sit and let it happen."
Albert Einstein (1879-1984)

Very interesting statement. Most don't leave comments but what do you think? Is he correct?
I have found others by various authors I'll be sharing in the next few days. Not "cheery" thoughts but they do make you think.


Gripped by Grace,

Hal

Our Great God and King

from my reading...

" God's essential relationship to us is that of a great King who has delivered us from death and calls us to serve Him by obeying His written word."

John Frame
"The Doctrine of God" p.35

Know God, Know Yourself, Know the Difference

Often times we disagree with people whom we haven't read. Such is the case for many when it comes to John Calvin. But the following quote must be read and considered and I find nothing in it to challenge. He was big on sovereignty.

"Man is never sufficiently touched and affected

by the awareness of his lowly state

until he has compared himself with God's majesty."

-John Calvin

Gripped by Grace,

Hal

Quote for Today...

The following is a quote from "Running on Empty" by Fil Anderson pg. 194.

This is good.

"The joy that is to come for all of God's people is so indescribable that the only image that can approach describing it is the joy between a lover and his or her beloved. The consummation of our union with God will be like a wedding of which the most beautiful, extravagant, and joyful wedding on earth offers only a faint foreshadowing."


Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Independent From Sin, Dependent on Jesus (That's good!)

The greatest freedom of all -- Freedom in Christ.

Celebrate that everyday.

Galatians 5:13:
"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

and 1 Peter 2:16:
"Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God."

and Revelation 5:8-10:
"And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Another Good Quote...

I was listening to Don Carson preach on the temptation of Joseph this morning. Carson is one I really enjoy listening too.

As he spoke about Joseph's time in prison he said the following:
"God often chooses to bless in difficult circumstances, rather than to place us in happier ones."

That's food for thought.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

"Gut Wrencher"

Today is a bit of a "gut wrencher". "My Boy" leaves the country headed to the "Big Sandbox" in Afghanistan. His deployment will be a year. So he will be gone till late Spring or early Summer.

Keep him in your prayers. I know he is in the Lord's hands and He has always done a better job taking care of him than we have. But it's hard knowing he will be in harms way everyday. As far as we know their will be no breaks like last time in Kuwait and Iraq. Always on guard with his head on a swivel, this time. Last time at least he got to be safe three days every now and then.

As you keep us all in your prayers especially remember his precious wife Brantley. We are so thankful for her and her love for Jonathan. He has even more to look forward to coming home to than last time.

We serve a sovereign God. I am glad that He is in charge of every bullet and bomb in Afghanistan. Nothing can touch "My Boy" unless it goes through the hand of my Father and his Father. That theology makes some folks nervous and some folks down right mad but when scripture teaches that the Lord controls the winds and the waves. He moves the hearts of kings. Then controlling a bullet or a bomb is not difficult.

We trust in the Lord.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

"As a man thinks...so is he."

As DeeDee and I are in Virginia going through a difficult time with Ronnie and our daughter Julia (she is miscarrying) I am continuing to read some of my general books.

I read a quote from the book, "The Christian Mind" by Harry Blamires. It is thought provoking. See how it strikes you.

"The collision between the Christian mind and a solidly earthbound culture ought to be a violent one."

I think when the collision is not violent that the Christian mind has given in to the earthbound culture.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Whose Fault is it I'm Running on Empty?

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I am reading a book titled "Running on Empty" by Fil Anderson. Well it is not that long of a book and I should have finished it but I took a break to read "The Furious Love of God" by Brennan Manning. Both are excellent books and I need both right now. But on to the purpose of this blog. I am now back in "Running on Empty" and am reading a chapter on prayer.

A few thoughts from the book may help you as they have me:

"This Holy Other, this Lover of my soul, invites me to approach Him, often urging me to linger, to remain with Him. With God practically begging me to stop by and share some unguarded conversation, why do I continue to resist the plunge into unspeakable intimacy with Him?" p.99

"I resist this open invitation because I'm usually in a hurry. Yet God never raises His voice...and God never hurries."
p. 100

Here are two great questions: "What do I long for so deeply that I can taste? What do I feel I can't live without?"
p.103

Finally, speaking of some monks he encountered at an abbey he said, "They have decided to want only one thing: God. And on those days when God is not their one and only desire, they at least want to want God."
p.104

That last one is a kick in the stomach.

Buy and read both books. Manning is a little bit of a Christian mystic but interesting. (I found his at the $5 Christian bookstore at the mall.) Anderson is very helpful.

To me both are like a cool drink of water on a hot, exhausting day.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Family Talk

I have a couple of great son's-in-law (Don't tell Andy I said that) and a great daughter-in-law.

But this is not about the two s-i-l's but the d-i-l.

Just last week she waved Bye to "my boy" as he goes for further training to be deployed to "the big sandbox". I watched the two of them and I am so glad the Lord put them together.

He calls her his "puzzle piece" because it took her to make his life complete and I must say, I agree.

She makes him happy... happier than I have seen him since he was a little boy and killed his first two squirrels, two squirrels two shots, and that was happy. Don't take that wrong, that was a big happy day for an 8 year old.

Now I watch as she prepares to wait for him over the next months and I see the love of my son's life counting the days and waiting.

I believe the Lord gave him a Prov. 31 woman. Especially verses 10-12, "An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm, all the days of her life."

Thank you Brantley for loving "my boy" and making him happy and giving him someone to be excited about coming home to.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Saying "Bye"...

I'm sitting here trying to say on a blog, to the few who read it, how I feel after saying "Bye" to Jonathan this morning ... for a year.

All I can say is, I already miss "my boy" real bad.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Another year...

Most of my blogs are somebody else's thoughts. You know - quotes from stuff I am reading. But this time it is my thoughts.

It won't be profound but it will be true.

DeeDee and I are about to say "Bye" to our son. This "Bye" will begin a year of separation. He will be in the "sandbox" serving his country, again.

(By the way he has been back less than a year from his last deployment. Is this "change I can believe in?")

A year. Wow, that is such a long time to not see someone. I have my beautiful wife, my baby daughter and son-in-law, my two precious grandchildren. Even every now and then my oldest daughter and son-in-law, come around.

But a year with out seeing "my boy". That was tough last time and it will be hard this time.

If I told you the stuff we have done over the years you would probably look at me strange and say, "The two of you did what?"

But many of those things are the things that are going through my mind

and my heart hurts

and I have a big lump in my throat.

So if you really want to help, pray first for Jonathan's precious wife, Brantley. I can't imagine how she is feeling. Then pray for DeeDee. (see her blog here) Then before you finish - mention me.

I would appreciate it.

I am so glad I am...
Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Some Quotes...

Recently I was looking back through a book I read several years ago and saw some of the thoughts I highlighted. I wanted to share them here so I am placing them both for you to read on this blog even though they are not related, directly.


They are from, "Recapturing the Wonder" by Ravi Zacharias.

"Like a child who suddenly stops sobbing when he is clasped in the arms of his mother, Such will be the grip of heaven on our souls."


"Thinking is a dying discipline in a society that throbs with activity."

Gripped by Grace
Hal

"What do you think?" or "What?... Do You Think?"

I am in the process of reading two great books. (I gave John Calvin a break.)

One is "The Christian Mind" by a British author, Harry Blamires. The other "Running on Empty" by Fil Anderson.

The first is, I believe, sermon preparation. The second one is definitely for me, but that is a story, maybe for another time.

In "The Christian Mind" I read the following quote which I have thought but could not have worded it in such a grand way. The British have a very "to the point" way of talking.

If Christians cannot communicate as thinking beings,
they are reduced to encountering one another only at
the shallow level of gossip and small talk. Hence the
perhaps peculiarly modern problem --- the loneliness of
the thinking Christian.

Very true Mr. Blamires. Very true.

So if you find yourself in a time of "small talk" or worse - "gossip"...think about this quote.

Gripped by Grace
Hal

IRONY...

"And the health, wealth and prosperity gospel folks say, what?"

I found this picture here.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Loving Each Other...

Below is an excerpt from a talk given by John Piper to his staff. It actually is good for us all. It is part of a longer article by Piper.

I hope you do as I did, read and learn.


Six Biblical Guidelines for Loving Each Other Amid Differences

1. Let’s avoid gossiping.

2. Let’s identify evidences of grace in each other and speak them to each other and about each other.

3. Let’s speak criticism directly to each other if we feel the need to speak to
others about it.

4. Let’s look for, and assume, the best motive in the other’s viewpoint, especially when we disagree.

5. Think often of the magnificent things we hold in common.

6. Let’s be more amazed that we are forgiven than that we are right. And in that way, let’s shape our relationships by the gospel.

The entire article can be read here.


Gripped By Grace,
Hal

A Good Friday Thought...

John Piper at Desiring God blog had the following quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is very applicable to this Easter Season, and is appropriate, as Piper points out, that sixty-four years ago today Bonhoeffer was hanged for his part in and assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler.

"The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our lives to death.

Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time—death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at his call. "
(The Cost of Discipleship, 99)

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Great Thought at EASTER...

Work through the old English and you will say "Wow!" when you read this quote, concerning a believer and not returning to sin.

"Now go on reader, and according to the order of Paul's writing, even so do though...Remember that Christ made not this atonement that thou shouldst anger God again; neither died he for thy sins, that thou shouldst live still in them; neither cleansed he thee, that thou shouldst return, as a swine, unto thine old puddle again; but that thou shouldst be a new creature, and live a new life after the will of God, and not of the flesh." William Tyndale


Gripped by Grace,
Hal

As You Go...Watch and Pray

I received news yesterday that someone I attended college with took his own life. I saw him a short time ago in a store in Birmingham and we talked and exchanged some pleasantries. But I went no further than that.

Now I wonder, did I miss something? Should I have been more attentive not just to his words but to facial expressions, etc?

We see people everyday, we talk with them but we have our own agendas and our own lists of thing-to-do so we hurry along.

On the other side we let small things and even large things separate us from friends and even family members that really, we love.

Why not, today and everyday, look into the eyes of those you see and pray for them, and love them with the love of Jesus?

The next time you come up on someone you know, slow down and listen. You never know what another person is experiencing right then.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Thinking about the Beatitudes

I have spent the previous weeks preaching from the Beatitudes.

These have been very meaningful to me in my personal walk with the Lord. I have expressed to the congregation at Calera Baptist that the testings and Satanic attacks have been very strong during this series of messages.

I will finish the series this Sunday with Jesus' word's on persecution. These words are convicting and very sobering as we consider whether we have seen persecution, yet the apostle Paul says, "All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted."
2 Tim. 3:12.

I must ask myself the question, "Am I truly living a godly life? Or do I even desire to live a godly life?" Yet, at the same time I am not suffering persecution.


I read the following on the Beatitudes written by J.C. Ryle in 1856. His words are convicting:

"Let us learn how entirely contrary are the principles of Christ to the principles of the world. It is vain to deny it. They are almost diametrically opposed. The very characters which the Lord Jesus praises, the world despises. The very pride, and thoughtlessness, and high tempers, and worldliness, and selfishness, and formality, and unlovingness, which abound everywhere, the Lord Jesus condemns.

Let us learn how unhappily different is the teaching of Christ from the practice of many professing Christians. Where shall we find men and women among those who go to churches and chapels, who are striving to live up to the pattern we have read of today? Alas! there is much reason to fear, that many baptized people are utterly ignorant of what the New Testament contains.

Above all let us learn how holy and spiritual-minded all believers should be. They should never aim at any standard lower than that of the sermon on the mount. Christianity is eminently a practical religion. Sound doctrine is its root and foundation, but holy living should always be its fruit. And if we would know what holy living is, let us often bethink ourselves who they are that Jesus calls 'blessed.' "

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Agreeing in Prayer

It is a wonderful thing to see our church family grow in our prayer life together. I have watched the last two weeks as we have gathered around "family members" and prayed for them. The love we see at those times is amazing and heart touching.

I said Sunday we are going to make this something that Calera Baptist is known for. It will not be the exception but the norm.

People are hurting and need our prayers. Most of the things that bother us are minor by comparison to the hurts and pains that some are suffering. So when an annoyance comes - measure it by what you know some of our brothers and sisters are experiencing and let then it pass.


Let's follow scripture and "Bear one another's burdens," and not let the small stuff get our eyes off of each other or the Lord.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Stopping by the Church - on a Snowy Morning

Inspite of snow on the ground - many met today at CBC to study the scriptures and worship the Lord. And, O, what a special time it was.

The time of music blessed my heart and took us to the cross, where we should be always. (Thank you Bro. Sam, Praise Team and Praise Band and also Shannon Vines).

Seeing the family of the Lord come around Michelle Clarke, Hilda LeSeuer and Mary Bishop to pray for a work of the Lord in their bodies was a close loving time when the family functioned as it should.

To see some of our young men and youth and children throw snowballs, like a family playing, was refreshing also.

The snow was a reminder of much that we see in the Word:

Job 37:6 "For to the snow he says, 'Fall on the
earth, likewise to the downpour, his mighty
downpour."

Psalms 51:7 "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be
clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow;though they are red like crimson,they shall become like wool."

Daniel 7:9 [ The Ancient of Days Reigns ] "As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire."

Matthew 28:3 "His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow."

Revelation 1:13-15 "and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters."

These are only a few.

Did you know snow was in the scriptures this much?

Praise the Lord for the pictures he gives us of Himself and His work in our world around us daily.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Change in Plans

Well here is a bit of a blog afterall, and it's personal.

Last night at this time I thought I would be a "Poppa" for the second time by now (Monday night). My second Grandchild was supposed to be born this morning. But the Lord has His ways and His will and we can only follow Him and trust Him.

After Jenifer was sent home today because Barrett decided to change positions drastically, I went to the office and watched as the Lord opened some doors of ministry opportunity. He knew I would be needed and would be pulled if my grandson had been born today. The Lord is so good. He even cared that I would be conflicted if a tiny baby was born today.

Barrett will be here in the morning around 7:30 a.m., the Lord willing. But we are trusting His way and His will and the Lord never does wrong.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

No Prodigal Blog This Week...

I don't know if I will get a chance to blog this week.

I've got a new Grand-baby coming Monday and my son leaves for the first leg of his Afghanistan deployment Saturday.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Prodigals... (part three)

Prodigals are never easy to deal with from a parent's perspective. They are self-centered, self-indulgent and just down right disrespectful. The first thing you want to do is grab them up and "ring their neck".

But in this post today, I just want us to remember the Prodigal's Dad in the parable Jesus told in Luke. Even in the son's rebellion, the Dad never showed anything but love.

Remember in the midst of our own rebellion our heavenly Father shows us love, even in His discipline.

Hebrews 12:6 tells us,

"For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives."

So yes, we should and must discipline our Prodigal, as much as is possible. But never lose sight of this - it is to be done in love. Scripture tells us "Love never fails." 1 Cor. 13:8.

This is short but there is enough to chew on and think about.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

OUCH!!

I preached today from Matt. 5:4:

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

I have been working on it for a couple of weeks. I told DeeDee it was getting me when I was studying for it but when I spoke it today WOW! the Lord ate my lunch.

I have to ask myself, do I mourn over my sin, my every sin, or do I tolerate some? Do I mourn over the sin of the world or do I just turn my head and say, "That's the way people are today," and move on.

If I truly mourn over sin, it must be all sin. Mourning is not measured in degrees. Either you are mourning or your not.

Do you mourn over sin? Never forget, even the "small" ones were big enough for Jesus to go to the cross.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Prodigals... (part two)

Parents of Prodigals: Respond or React?
(The second of a few blogs)

In last week's blog I asked this, "Do you have a prodigal?" Then I said, "Be truthful. It doesn't do any good to deny it or ignore it. Once you admit it you can begin praying rightly and responding correctly."

Responding - not reacting - is what is important as you deal with your prodigal. When you react you say things you may later regret. When you respond you can take time to think and say those things and do those things which are productive.

I speak from experience. During the days of my son's prodigal experience I often tended to react rather than respond. I would threaten and yell. But the truth is that never worked.

My wife tended more to respond and encouraged me to do the same. To respond is to step back and look at the offence and lifestyle your prodigal is choosing. Then see how you can step in and say, "Stop" before your prodigal goes over the edge into the abyss.

Responding does not mean you are not firm. But you are firm in a constructive way. Instead of saying, "This is wrong and that is wrong." You point out the error and then give constructive insights to lead away from the edge.

Don't misunderstand, you may need to take the car or cell phone and cut off the cash flow, but don't just do it - explain the loving reason and not that you are just reacting out of anger.

So the next time you are dealing with your prodigal, think, "Am I responding or reacting?"

More next week...

If you have comments or questions about dealing with prodigals leave them in the comments section or e-mail me privately at hal@calerabaptist.org, If there is a need to reply I will do so.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Prodigals... (part one)

The Pride of Parents of Prodigals
(The first of a few blogs)


"My name is Hal and my son was a prodigal."

From what I have seen that is a variation of the AA meeting. Why do I start like this? Here is the reason. I have heard of one family today from out of state who is dealing with a prodigal AND I have talked personally with a parent today who has a prodigal. And we know of many more. The encouraging thing about the parent I talked with today is that they recognize their child is a prodigal.

It was interesting, I was just about to order a new book titled ,"Get Outta My Face" that I am looking at maybe teaching at CBC. The phone rang and we had a good talk about this parent's prodigal and the problem that many parents are facing.

Let me say this... if you have a prodigal, you will never be able to begin helping them or yourself until you are honest enough to say, "my son, my daughter is a prodigal." Pride will not get them to return. The truth is where you must start. You don't place blame on yourself or God. You just see that rebellion is occurring and your prodigal is out there.

My son Jonathan went through a time of being a prodigal. (You can read some of his journey on his blog.) It wasn't days or months but years. The return was not easy for any of us. It was drugs, alcohol, sex and you name it. But one day after an arrest and a charge for drug use, etc. the slow journey for home started for him. Now he is home. But DeeDee and I were never fooling ourselves - he was a prodigal and we knew it. (By the way I have his full permission to share his story any time.)

Do you have a prodigal? Be truthful. It doesn't do any good to deny it or ignore it. Once you admit it you can begin praying rightly and responding correctly.

More next time...

If you have comments or questions about dealing with prodigals leave them I will read them and if you want a response I'll give it a try. (or if you need to email me privately - you are welcome to do so at hal@calerabaptist.org)

Gripped by Grace
Hal

My Boy is Going Back to the "Sandbox"

Last year while having lunch with two old friends from high school, both of which are also in the ministry, I mentioned that Jonathan was deployed to Kuwait/Iraq. One looked at me and as he smiled he said, "You raised a warrior." Well, my "Warrior" will be going back to war. He is being redeployed to Afghanistan.

His Momma and I didn't intend to raise a warrior. We raised a boy/man to love the Lord, his family and life. He does love all three.

But he also loves extremes. He has ridden a tall tree down and busted his head. He has jumped ramps on his bicycle and gotten a busted lip and a black eye. He has looked down the barrel of a potato gun, he built, fired it to check for the spark and burned off his eye lashes and half an eyebrow. He killed two squirrels at 8 years old with two shots. And alot more stuff with BB guns and other guns. He rode on the back of a four-wheeler with a snake wrapped around his arm. He can suck string up his nose and make it come out his mouth. He can hammer a 16 penny nail up his nose and balance a 10 foot long 2 X 2 on his chin. And by the way he has eaten a live lizard, for money.

Yep, we raised him to be all boy and all man and now I found out we raised a warrior.

When you read all this stuff, and it's not near all, now you really know to pray for him as he goes again to "the sand box" in harms way.

I really love my boy.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

A Recommended Short Read

I read several men's writings regularly. John Piper is one of them. This link will take you to a meditation he wrote on his blog concerning the comparison of the plane that went down on the Hudson River a few days ago and the Presidency of President Obama.
It is a good read and will make you think.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

For Those Who are Wondering

It started Thursday morning. DeeDee got out of bed around 6:30 a.m., because of discomfort in her left arm and neck. I soon got up and checked on her and she was hurting seriously.

We talked about what she wanted to do and after back and forth we went to Calera Family Health. Dr. Walker and the nurses there were very helpful. But I want to talk about a short few minutes in which the Lord said much to me and caused me to live what I believe.

They had given DeeDee her third nitro pill. Her blood pressure dropped to 80 over 40. She looked at the nurses and said, "I'm going to pass out." They talked with her a minute and she said, "Really, I'm going to pass out." Then she looked at me and with tears in her eyes said, "I'm going to die." I looked back in the beautiful eyes of my bride and said, "No your not going to die." Soon they got her blood pressure stabilized and we started the trip and work at the hospital.

Someone asked me if I was afraid. The answer is, No. When DeeDee looked at me and said with fear, "I'm going to die" , the Lord assured me she could not die then. She will not have fear when she dies. God will give her dying grace when the time comes. I know that and I live everyday with that. It wasn't a dying day for DeeDee.

Some may ask why was she afraid? Because it wasn't a dying day for her. She still was clinging to me and her loved ones. When the dying day comes she will let go and die with grace.

That is why I could say, "Your not going to die." When the time comes for any one of God's children to go home it will be a time of peace not fear, a time of a home coming celebration with nothing to fear.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Happy New Year

I got started early this morning because I needed to be at Children's Hosp. early. After that I paid another visit to a hospital then ran some errands for the office, among other things. Up to that point all is well and I am glad to have been used of the Lord to touch some lives.

However,when I have a number of important and necessary things on my to-do list I tend to get my head going ahead of myself and can get frustrated at myself when, by my timing, I fall behind.

Coming into Calera at 11:00 a.m. I decided to take an early lunch and get back to the office to get some things done there before a 2:30 p.m. appointment I have with someone.

I was sitting eating lunch with DeeDee and Aubrey which is a great treat and as I helped clean up a little I noticed I was off my schedule. I put it in high gear and rushed around the house then took off down the stairs to the car. I got in the garage with my calendar, my Calvin's Institutes book and a big bag of garbage and realized I forgot my cell phone, arrgh. So I put the garbage in the can, my calendar and book on the back of the car and ran upstairs to get my phone. I got the phone ran back downstairs and grabbed my calendar and book jumped in my car and backed out. Then I realized I forgot my laptop aarrggh!! again.

I backed into the driveway ran in the house, hollered up at DeeDee, "I forgot my silly laptop!" I was not happy with myself. Then I heard the voice of a two year old from upstairs for no reason say, "Happy New Year, Poppa".

Ouch!! I am preaching the blessedness, (happiness) of the believer from the Beatitudes, yet I am all out of sorts over being behind a little bit, and it's my fault.

Maybe it only spoke to me but I needed to share this with somebody and since I don't blog, DeeDee says I should (arrggh), this was the best place to share this. *** sidenote - DeeDee has posted this on the blog***

Are you in a "snit" over something? Take it from me, it doesn't help matters. Instead listen to a two year old, "Happy New Year". If we live for the Lord even when we fall behind or our money gets short, personally and in business, or any other thing happens, we need to look at the Beatitudes and make sure our life matches up and then we can say, "Happy New Year".

Well, that is what it said to me, anyway.

Happy New Year,
Hal