A little bit about family
I don't often talk about my family. Mainly because if anyone wants to know where my walks fails with God fails the most, they can tell you. However, I do believe that my beautiful wife Christine and my two amazing boys Aidan and Aaron are the greatest earthly gift God has, or will, ever give to me.
But my family doesn't stop there. I have a mother. I also have two brothers and a sister, all married (adding in two sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law), and they have provided me with 7 great nieces and nephews. I also have a fantastic mother- and father-in-law, who have been there for us anytime we've ever needed them. I also have a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, neither of whom are married, but are very loving to Aidan and Aaron.
But my family doesn't end there. My Dad (now in Heaven with, I believe, my Mom), has two sister and a brother, adding 3 more aunts and uncles. They had, between them, 12 kids. One sadly passed away a few years ago, but I still have 11 living first cousins (all but one of them married) on my Dad's side. Between them, they have had 20 kids, so you can add in my second cousins. On my Mom's side, there's my aunt, who is my only living relative on Mom's side of the family, her husband and their two kids (first cousins). We even went so far to have a family genealogy done and the book is over 1000 pages of VERY small type. That's my family, too.
But my family doesn't end there. Christine and I have a number of close friends. Each of these people, and their families, mean a great deal to Christine and I and those relationships are familial to us.
But my family doesn't end there. My church has a weekly attendance across two services of about 350. Each of those people is a brother or sister of mine in the Lord.
But my family doesn't end there. My websphere has a number of people (some of whom I haven't even met) who I also consider brothers and sisters in the Lord and, while we may not worship/pray/evangelize in the same way, we all share a common heart for those around us who have not yet met God.
Quick math tells me that God has blessed me with a family of over 400 people that I can name. Each of them is different, each of them is special and each one of them means a great deal to me. I argue with them, I rejoice with them, I converse with them, I cry and laugh and celebrate and grieve and share every other emotion with them. I am blessed by every one of them. And how amazing is it to think that my family likely really numbers into the millions when you add in the consideration that we are ALL God's children.
Thank you God, for family. May you continue to bless me by making my family both bigger AND closer every day. Amen.
I'm Wesleyan
In truth, though, my scores are so middle of the road, I could be just about any of 'em based on simply moving an answer or twoone spot to the left or right.
Anyone who can help with Sola Scriptura, Bishop Spong and Karl Barth, your willingness to share knowledge is appreciated. Might change my scores.
You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan | | 79% |
Emergent/Postmodern | | 71% |
Fundamentalist | | 68% |
Charismatic/Pentecostal | | 61% |
Neo orthodox | | 50% |
Roman Catholic | | 50% |
Modern Liberal | | 50% |
Reformed Evangelical | | 46% |
Classical Liberal | | 46% |
What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com
HatTip to
Pernell Goodyear
Great Devotional (and oh, so true)
From
The Purpose Driven LifeMichael and Me
by John Fischer
I picked up my newspaper this morning and saw the headlines: “Jackson Acquitted on All 10 Counts,” and my immediate thought had nothing to do with Michael Jackson. Instead, for some reason I saw my name there. I saw the headline: “Fischer Acquitted on All Counts.” And here’s the deal: I know I’m guilty.
That’s the big difference between Michael and me. MJ will most likely now appear exonerated. I’m sure statements along the lines of justice being done will be prevalent from his camp. My acquittal is much different. I don’t want the subject of justice to even come up. Justice will not be in my best interest primarily because I know I’m guilty. My acquittal has little to do with fame, race, or any of the issues we will be hearing about in the next few days. My acquittal has everything to do with mercy. It was all the judge’s doing. I’m still pretty much baffled by the whole thing, to be honest. I didn’t even request it. He acquitted me because he convicted His Son in my place. And since justice was already done on the cross, I can now go free. Like Michael Jackson.
Every day we get to breathe is another day we don’t deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve; mercy is not getting what we do deserve, and the incredible thing is: we get both. This is not only an important element to our relationship with God (we wouldn’t have one without this); it’s also an important part of our message to the world.
A big part of our mission in the world is to announce God’s mercy, along with an acute awareness of our own guilty verdict. Without both sides of this story, people quickly get the wrong idea about Christians — that they are people who are better than everyone else, or at least they think they are. We would do well never to talk about justice being done without accompanying statements of gratitude for our own undeserved acquittal.
This is why I do not want to look at the headlines about Michael Jackson and shake my head. Instead, I let out a sigh of relief, because that’s me, too, in that picture. That’s me, acquitted of my real guilt — an acquittal that makes me the most fortunate good-for-nothing on the face of the earth. And it’s the gospel that propels me to tell this story to everyone I meet, because, in reality, the world is merely full of other good-for-nothings like me for whom Christ died. The only real difference is who knows it, and who doesn’t.
Guess the gloves are off now
OK. Everybody can now take a deep breath. Gloves are back on.
Good post to look at
Check this out.....
The BolgBlog makes an interesting point of how to keep churches from being pushed out to the margins of the world.
(HatTip (TM
Austin Fusilier) to
Pernell Goodyear)
