Ben's Testimony

As part of his Rite of Passage Ceremony, Ben shared his spiritual testimony. We thought you all might enjoy reading it. Below is what he wrote and shared:

Ben reading his testimony to his mentors.

My name is Ben. I invited Christ into my heart on December 23, 2001 with the assistance of my mother. I can’t precisely remember what inspired this decision; quite possibly the fact that my older sister, Bianca, had became a Christian just four days before. My Dad, my mom, and my older sister were all going to heaven and I was not about to be left out of the party! So I asked my mother to pray with me and I became a Christian. If one were to ask what impact that had on my life then and there, my answer would be quite simple: as much impact as that could have on my young heart and mind. To me that simply meant that I was “heaven bound.” And not much more. I was blessed to be placed in a Christian home with Christian values. I was taken to church on a weekly basis, was taught many stories from the Bible, and scripture memorization was implanted into my mind. Over the years, I continued to mature in Christ, and by age nine I was spending time in His Word on a daily basis.

Around the age of ten, I was thinking about the commitment I had made to Christ earlier. I began to evaluate my reasons for becoming a Christian, and realized that I really didn’t understand the seriousness of becoming a Christian. How can one understand that at such a young age? So I re-committed my life to Christ, with a new understanding. Shortly thereafter, I obeyed the Lord in baptism.

Near the end of that year, my father in agreement with my mother made a decision based on Biblical principles to “move on” from the church we were at. We searched for a new church for some time and were told by some friends about one that sounded promising. We decided to visit this church; we enjoyed the passionate worship and were impressed by the teaching, and made the decision to join. Our family has had some neat opportunities to serve here. My father has been a Sunday School teacher and is currently serving as one of the deacons. And I had the opportunity to participate with my dad and others on a missions trip to the Bahamas. This church has meant a lot to my family and me.

Many things have been an inspiration and influence in helping me grow in my walk with Christ. Definitely the single most influential thing in my journey with Christ has been reading the Bible on a daily basis, and spending time with God in prayer. I will now discuss five different areas where the Lord has worked in and through my life.

In Literature

Literature is the oldest form of communicating ideas to a vast group of people. It was God’s chosen way of communicating His word to us through the printing of the Bible. The Bible is the book I have found most influential in my life. 2 Timothy 3:16 states: “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The Bible has been useful in all these areas of my life.

In Music

Music was created for the worship of God. There are many songs whose lyrics and doctrine have really encouraged and empowered me. Some of these are; “Amazing Grace” by John Newton, “How Great Thou Art” by Carl Gustaf Boberg, and “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” by Elisha A. Hoffman and Anthony J. Show alter. Some contemporary songs that I like are; “Shout to the Lord” by Hillsong United, “Great is the Lord” when sang by the Promise Keepers, “Only You Can Save” by Chris Sligh, and “Courageous” by Casting Crowns.

In Opportunity

One of the greatest opportunities I have had as a Christian was the Bahamas mission’s trip I took with my dad and some others from our church. It was the best opportunity I have had to share the gospel with unbelievers, and it was a time of spiritual growth, discipleship, evangelism, learning, worship and godly fellowship. Another great opportunity the Lord has granted me was participating in a Christian men’s conference in the company of my father this past summer. The event was hosted by a Christian men’s fellowship group called the Promise Keepers. Here I learned more about seven Biblical promises that relate to marriage, discipleship, purity, biblical unity and evangelism.

In Scripture

I am now reading the Bible on a daily basis as I attempt to read it all the way through. I believe every Christian who studies the Bible regularly has a favorite verse. I cannot single out just one, as I have several. Some of my favorite verses are:

Philippians 3:14:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJV)

Romans 12:1-2

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship. Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)

Matthew 28:19-20

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV)

Joshua 24:15

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. (NIV)

Through His servants

There have been many people who have been a spiritual inspiration in my life, both living and deceased. The two most influential living ones are my parents. They have mentored me, encouraged me, and loved and provided for me. Others who have been a great help and encouragement to me are my pastor; the ministry of Mr. Douglas Phillips (Vision Forum); all of our church youth leaders, my grandfathers and other relatives, and essentially everyone who is here at my Rite of Passage today has been an inspiration, encouragement, and influence in my life.

Some historical figures who I study and find inspiration in are the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; great reformers like John Calvin and Martin Luther; and famed missionaries like Nate Saint, William Carey, and Bruce Olson (Bruce Olson is still in active ministry). I have also studied and have been inspired by the famed evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham who is still alive but no longer serving in public ministry.

The Lord has done a lot in my life as a Christian. He has used many people and events to accomplish His will for me. He continues to work on my heart and mind, molding me into who He created me to be. I will continue to seek his face and do His will!

I finish with the Latin words that end many of my formal written documents: Soli Deo Gloria! “To God Alone be the Glory.”

Transformation

Long ago, before I knew the Lord, I blended in well with all the others like me. On the outside, I looked normal, healthy, even attractive. But inside, there was a different view.

Deep in my heart, there was darkness; empty places; slime encircling seeds void of life, for they had not yet died to self.

But the One who loved me enough to die for me saw beyond the sadness, and heard the silent, desperate pleas. He set out to fashion me, bit by bit, into the wonder He had always intended. This will hurt, but I will be with you, He said. And He picked up His tools, and pierced through the façade, all the way down to the deepest, darkest recesses of my heart.

My soul cried out in pain, as His practiced hands scraped away all that clung to its walls. Lovingly yet firmly, He worked away, and bit by bit, all that displeased Him was removed, and I could breathe.

But He wasn’t finished yet…

There was more work to be done…more chiseling, shaping, and molding. Sometimes His cuts went deep into my flesh, and again I cried. I will never leave you nor forsake you, He whispered.

And as He worked, a song began to grow inside me. A song that radiated from the very throne of God; sung since the beginning, when the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy! The song grew, and filled me with new life, and in spite of my flaws and imperfections, His love shone through.

Thereafter, when darkness surrounded me, I had no fear. His love and His goodness were always inside me, just as He promised. His presence lit up the darkness, and banished it.

‘Though I’m still a work in progress, I rejoice in the transformation He has wrought. The pain had a purpose, and the losses birthed life.

(Inspired by “The Pumpkin Patch Parable” by Liz Curtis Higgs)

(posted by Betsy)

Recipe--Chili

One of our favorite dinners on a cold winter night is hot chili with cornbread. It just warms you from the inside out! Below is our simple, yet tasty recipe which came originally from the Tightwad Gazette, ‘though we’ve modified it a bit to suit our tastes. We hope you enjoy it!

Chili

1 lb ground beef

1 cup chopped onions (or ½ cup dried minced)

1 can of chopped green chilies

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

3-15 oz. cans undrained beans (kidney, great northern, black), or the equivalent amount of cooked dried beans, and some extra water)

1 tablespoon chili powder

¾ cups water

Shredded cheddar cheese

In large dutch oven or pot, brown the beef; drain excess fat. Add remaining ingredients (except cheese), cover and simmer, for one hour, stirring occasionally. Spoon into individual bowls, top with cheddar cheese, and serve with cornbread. Serves 8.

Favorite Colors

One of the most common “favorites” question—especially among children—is “what’s your favorite color?” Below are our favorite colors, and please feel free to share yours in the comments:

Mark— I’ve always loved blue. I also enjoy the mixture of all of the colors of fall and spring!

Betsy—I’ve always loved blue. Aside from that, all the colors of fall are favorites!

Bianca—My favorite color is bright red! Red has been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. I think my second favorite color would be yellow because it is so bright and a “cheerful” color. J

Ben—My favorite color is aqua and orange. In the past I’ve liked army green. My favorite color combination is blue and orange.

Rubia—My favorite color is blue. I also like yellow, green, and purple.

Roma—My favorite color is sky blue. Or as I used to call it, “morning blue.” When I was little, I loved pink. I also like yellow, red, orange, and light green.

Josiah—My number one favorite color is red. I also like blue.

Visiting With Missionary Friends

We were so blessed to spend yesterday evening with friends who are leaving as missionaries to South America early next year! Before last night, we really didn’t know the family that well, but we were excited about their ministry and wanted to get to know them better as well. We had a really good time with them!

The men chatting before dinner.

All of the ladies in the kitchen. I was busy frying up tortillas for. . .

. . .make-your-own tacos!

They were very delicious!

We enjoyed getting to know the G’s better over dinner.

The kids also enjoyed visiting and discussing their mission field.

For dessert we enjoyed a delicious fruit salad provided by our friends, brownie bites, and hot pumpkin pudding with whipped cream. We also drank some amazing hot mulled cider that our friends brought. It was all so good!

The kids enjoyed playing board games in the basement for much of the evening.

After dinner and dessert—around 9:00 p.m.—we all went into the living room to hear the G’s presentation about their upcoming ministry in South America. It was so saddening to hear of the poverty they witnessed, and the treatment of unwanted children. But we are so excited about their new ministry! They will be helping set up family-based “orphanages,” which are actually homes with Christian parents and 10-12 orphaned or abandoned children, who permanently become their children. Their ministry is described well by Psalm 68:6, “God places the lonely in families.”

They did an awesome job with their presentation!

We really enjoyed getting to know their family better and hearing about their ministry! We look forward to seeing how God works through them in South America. Who knows, maybe someday we will visit them in the mission field!

That's A Wrap!

The end of gardening season has arrived here in Michigan. It’s a good thing too because I hadn’t visited my garden in almost a month (Oops!) Once school starts, trying to get out in my garden daily is a difficult effort. While I love gardening, I am now ready to be done and put things away for the year.

On Monday I went out and picked everything left in the garden, dead, alive, or unripe. This included the dead zinnia heads which I will save for seed; lettuce, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and all three types of tomatoes. Plus all of my herbs which are not pictured.

Everything got a good rinse in the sink plus I sorted out what wasn’t worth keeping. Here’s our sink full of catnip.

And here’s all of the vegetables.

I know the angle on this picture is strange, but I was trying to capture everything in the picture. From left to right: Bell and Jalapeno peppers, Early Girl tomatoes, lettuce (underneath the tomatoes), Chocolate cherry and Sweet 100 tomatoes, sweet mint (in front of tomatoes), oregano, parsley, catnip, and chocolate mint (bottom left of photo.) You can also see my rosemary plant which I am going to try keeping inside over the winter. We will see how it works out.

I weighed all the produce and recorded it in my garden log. The herbs were washed and hung to dry.

A bowl of tomatoes and peppers waiting to be used or to ripen.

Beautiful Bell peppers.

Now all that’s left to do is pull the dead plants out of the garden, put away the trellises, and compost (lasagna garden.) I’m sure there will be a post about that in the future!

Trip to Grandma and Grandpa's House!

This past weekend we visited our Grandparents out in Pennsylvania! We hadn’t seen them since July and really missed them.

We had an interesting time packing for the trip. With my Dad’s job, he gets different cars every few months. This time, he had a Tahoe. Just imagine fitting seven people, suitcases, jackets, sleeping bags, blankets, backpacks, computers, water bottles, lunch, food for Grandma and Grandpa’s freezer, and one large dog in that size vehicle. Then imagine being cramped into that car for hours on end while you traveled. Yeah, it was interesting. J

Roma and Rubia before we left. You can see the luggage piled in the back. I think the space we had can be best described as the middle seat of a car. Except everybody had a middle seat. You couldn’t move one way or the other because of all the backpacks and blankets on our laps.

We were so happy to finally get to Grandma and Grandpa’s house! We all rested in the living room and enjoyed the space. J Here, Grandma is opening a gift-wrapped pot holder that Josiah made for her.

The rest of that evening was spent relaxing and settling in. We had sub sandwiches for dinner, which were quite tasty! Later that evening, I worked on finishing my Sunday school devotion and then I watched a TV show called “Sweet Genius” with Mom and Dad. Then I enjoyed some much needed rest!

Friday morning we slept in. It felt wonderful! We then enjoyed a breakfast of muffins, scrambled eggs, oranges, juice, and milk.

Since it was raining and cold, we spent the day indoors. Mom and the kids started doing handclaps together for fun. It was quite funny to watch them!

Daddy still tries to sit in his Mommy’s lap. J Here they watch something on the laptop.

Roma reading, while Mom and Josiah look at the laptop.

For lunch we had leftover sandwiches, Fritos, bananas, and cookies. One thing I always enjoy about Grandma’s house is the goodies she keeps around for us kids. We don’t normally get to have chips and cookies for lunch!

In the afternoon, Roma, Grandpa, Grandma, and I went out to the hair salon where Grandma gets her hair done. When she was all done, we went to a local candy shop and Grandma and Grandpa let Roma and I pick out some treats for the car ride home the next day. It was so nice of them!

We had pizza, popcorn, pickles, and carrots for dinner Friday night. Then Daddy surprised Grandpa with a German chocolate birthday cake! It was very tasty and we’re so thankful to celebrate yet another birthday with Grandpa!

Saturday morning we did a few more jobs around the house before packing up to leave. We’re sorry to go, but we look forward to visiting again very soon!

The ride home was interesting! J With such a long car ride, plus getting stuck in traffic, we find ways to amuse ourselves. Oftentimes this leads to silliness, as the above photo shows. J

Plus we were fueled by all that chocolate we had bought the day before! J But we have so many memories of car rides together that we wouldn’t change them one bit!

Sola Fide

This post is part of a series I’ve been sharing with my Sunday School class on the five Solas and is a continuation to my devotion on Sola Scriptura. Here’s a little bit about what Sola Fide means. . .

For the past few months we have been talking about syncretism and a series of doctrines called the five Solas. These doctrines came out of a period in church history known as the Reformation. Last time I spoke about Sola Scriptura and the importance of studying God’s Word for ourselves. Today I will talk about the second Sola, Sola Fide, which means “by faith alone.”

One of the most important doctrines presented in the Bible over and over again is faith. In fact, Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Obviously faith is of great importance to God, because without it we cannot please God.

But how does the Bible define faith? Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” We see that having faith means believing in something we cannot see. If we look back at Hebrews 11:6, we can see we have to believe that God exists in order to receive the reward of knowing Him personally. I know of atheists who say they don’t believe in God because they have “never felt his presence in (their) lives.” But in order to have a personal relationship with God, we have to believe (or want to believe) that He indeed exists.

All the doctrines of Christianity require faith. We were not there when Christ died and rose from the dead. We need faith to believe that we receive salvation (atonement) through a personal relationship with Christ by His grace alone. We need faith to believe that heaven and hell really exist because we have no physical proof here on earth. It takes faith to believe that every word of the Bible was spoken and inspired by God alone.

It also takes great faith to believe that we are saved by God’s grace alone and not by works. I have been reading a fascinating book called “So What’s the Difference?” by Fritz Ridenour. The book compares all of the major world religions plus several cults with Christianity, and explores the differences. As I have read about Roman Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, and right now Jehovah’s Witnesses, I have noticed a common theme. Every other religion requires some form of work to earn salvation, paradise, etc. All other religions when compared to Christianity can be defined as “do versus done.” Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” We are completely saved by God’s irresistible grace through faith in Christ Jesus, and God alone receives the glory.

But all this is not to say that we believe by faith and that’s all we are called to do as Christians. We are called to be sanctified, which means becoming more holy as God is holy. But unlike the Catholics, the Mormons, the Muslims, and all other religions, we are not saved by good works, but rather for good works.

And last—but certainly not least—we must have faith in God’s perfect will for our lives. And by “perfect” I don’t mean that all goes well! Until we get to heaven, we’ll never understand why we get hurt, why plans go wrong, or why we experience pain. But we must have faith that God has a plan to use every hurt, every trial, and every persecution to bring Himself more glory. We must have faith in His promises such as Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”)

I would suggest that you all take time to read Hebrews 11 when you get home this afternoon. This is the “Hall of Faith” chapter of the Bible and is chock-full of examples of men and woman who lived lives of faith. I always find it encouraging when I hear of others who have lived through difficult circumstances and grown in their faith because of it.

I’d like to close by repeating the verse I shared earlier, Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God.” Ask yourself this week, “am I growing in my faith in God? Do I know how to defend my faith when others question my beliefs? And am I holding onto the idea that I can earn salvation by doing good works rather than by His grace alone?” Remember that it is by faith alone that we are saved!

The Harvest

“Then He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.’”

Matthew 9:37-38

(Posted by Bianca)

Recipe--Apple Bread

Many of our favorite fall foods revolve around apples! Every year, we love going to the orchard and picking a bushel of apples and then turning those apples into treats! One of our favorite desserts is apple bread. Make sure you try it while the apples are in season! Here is the recipe:

Apple Bread

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups sugar

½ cup oil

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups chopped apples

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Combine the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir dry mixture into wet mixture, until mixed. Stir in the apples and walnuts. (You might need to finish mixing this with your hands.) Divide into 2 pans. Mix together sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Sprinkle on top of the loaves. Bake at 325°F for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until ready. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before slicing. Freezes well. Enjoy!

How You Want to Be Remembered

All of us have certain character qualities by which we would like be remembered. Here are some of the ways our family members would like to be remembered:

Mark—I would like to be remembered as a Courageous man of Impact! I hope to be known as a faithful leader in my home, church, work, and community, and one who has a strong passion to follow the will of God.

Betsy—I would like to be remembered as a daughter of God who was faithful to His calling in her life. For me, this means that I faithfully and joyfully fulfilled my role as a helpmeet to my husband; a mother, teacher, and nurturer to our children; and a friend and encourager to anyone who needed it. Most of all, I want to be remembered as someone who loved Jesus with all her heart, and who lived out His Word in every area of her life.

Bianca—I want to be remembered as a young lady who loved the Lord with all her heart and walked in daily obedience to His word. As far as specific character qualities, I want to be remembered as patient, meek, joyful, a true friend to others, content, happy, and a servant.

Ben—I want to be remembered as trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, and reverent, and a lover of God. (As a note, most of these are in the Boy Scout Law. J)

Rubia—I want to remembered as a young woman who feared God, was a servant to others, was loving, and compassionate.

Roma—I want people to remember me as loving God with all my heart. I also want to be remembered as a servant, having respect for others, being compassionate, honoring my parents, and having some of the qualities of the Proverbs 31 woman.

Josiah—I want people to remember that I love Jesus and I am a Christian. I also want to be remembered as respectful, kind, a hard worker, and a godly young man who obeys God’s word.