"Business By the Book" Book Review

~Posted by Ben

As assigned reading for school, I have been reading “Business by the Book” by the late Christian economist, Larry Burkett. Since Business is one of my main career interests (politics being the other) I was really looking forward to reading this book! It was published in 1990, right on the heels of a time in business known as “the greedy eighties.” This term used in business circles describes a time of economic prosperity following Ronald Reagan’s tax cuts on the wealthy in the early 80’s. These tax cuts caused a resurgence in small business investment that sparked an unprecedented interest in entrepreneurism and “climbing the corporate ladder.” This effect was the backbone of the “Reagan recovery” from stagflation.

Such changes had both positive and negative consequences on American culture, especially the culture of American Business. Although the 80’s were a time of great economic growth, blue collar cities like Detroit and Flint experienced a grave economic downturn due to disinvestment and deindustrialization. Sadly, many businesses came to the harmful conclusion, “profits over people.”

It was at the pinnacle of this time period that Burkett wrote “Business by the Book.” In it, he presents the “radical” idea that it is entirely possible to conduct Business in such a way that is profitable, productive, and Biblical. He cites the reconstruction of Japan after World War II as his prime example. When General Douglas was appointed by President Truman as the military governor of Japan, he instituted laws for business largely based off Biblical truths. This, combined with the Japanese inherit respect for authority, as well as their strong unity and national pride, propelled them beyond their teacher to become one of the largest economies in the modern world. Burkett also gives a variety of positive examples of Christian businesses in the US that have based their business plan off of the scriptures and have experienced great profit for it.

In this book, Burkett deals with a lot of required decisions in modern business, including decisions on hiring, firing, borrowing, lending, management selection, employee pay, discounting, and many others. He also, using scripture, provides answers to many questions common among Christian businesses; questions such as, “Should I hire women to be in management over men?” “Should Christian businesses hire non-Christians?” “Is it acceptable for Christian businesses to borrow money?” “Can Christians sue people and/or other businesses for money?” “What do I do about an insubordinate employee?” When addressing all these questions, Burkett constantly goes back to scripture when giving his final answer on the subject.

I would highly encourage anyone interested in business and entrepreneurship to read this incredible book! My dad and I are now doing it as a weekly study, as many of its principles apply to everyday situations we both experience at work. I’m so grateful for Larry Burkett and all the wisdom he was able to share over the course of his life!

My Parents

My Parents in Rome, Italy

~Posted by Ben

This is my blog post for the month. And since we are in-between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I thought I would do a tribute to my wonderful parents Mark and Betsy.

                              

My parents recently celebrated 25 years of marriage with a trip to Italy. In 25 years they have finished grad school, held multiple jobs, lived in 7 places in 4 states, owned 5 homes and had 5 kids! Needless to say, God has done A LOT in their lives over the past 25 years. I have been blessed to witness the last 17 of those 25 years. I have seen them go through times of joy and times of sadness, times of peace and times of stress, and they have stuck together for better or for worse, for rich and for poor, in sickness and in health…and will stay together until death do they part. For them, marriage was not a contract, but a covenant made before God.

Sadly, we live in a world of fractured families. Our world is plagued with divorce, single parent homes (particularly single mother homes), illegitimate children, and in very rare cases, even homosexuals raising adopted children. It is becoming less and less common to find families that are intact; families as God designed them. I remember as a little kid having friends who came from homes with divorce or were being raised by only one parent (I actually still have friends like that, I think we all do). I did not view myself as superior to them simply because I came from an intact family, but I remember feeling sorry for them. Sorry that they did not have both a dad and a mom in their lives. I couldn’t imagine life with either a mom or dad. Or a life where I had both parents but they did not live together. I could not imagine the feeling of knowing that my parents weren’t together anymore because they no longer loved each other.

I’ve been blessed by God to grow up with the security that I will never have to experience that pain. But I pray for those who do. I’m not inferring that it is impossible for a person who has grown up in this situation to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives and live in a godly manner. God’s grace is sufficient to use people from difficult backgrounds for His glory. But it is still not the design He had for families.

I have been blessed to be raised in a family where my parents truly loved each other and loved us and taught us to love one another. My parents have worked overtime to insure that we are being raised to love God and others above ourselves. To love one another with a sacrificial love that cares for others’ needs above our own. To love people the way Jesus loved people. Not just in word, but in deed (I John 3:18). They taught us that love is a verb, not just an emotion. This kind of love is what has given me great security over the years. No matter what came our way, I knew that our family would band together and by God’s power make it through anything that life threw at us. I thank my parents for being who they are. For loving us, for caring for us, for teaching us the ways of God, and for instilling in us Biblical ethics such as the fruit of the spirit. Above all, I thank them for setting an example for my siblings and me of what a family who follows God looks like. They showed us what must be done to preserve a Christian heritage in a time of sinfulness and compromise. I thank them for showing me Christ in their lives.

Mother’s Day has passed, Father’s day is approaching. I would encourage you to give thanks to God for the parents He gave you. Not because they are perfect, but because He knew that you need them in your life. I encourage you to thank your parents for all that they’ve done in your life. For the example they’ve set, and for loving you even when you weren’t always easy to love. I thank God for my parents, and will do so every day that I live! God bless you all!

DIY Garden Project, Part 1

~Posted by Ben

Over the past several weeks, my little brother and I have been working to install a bird sanctuary for our Mom behind the kitchen window of our house. We had some birdfeeders and a birdbath, and there was a patch of grass in the back that would be just perfect.

The patch of grass before digging. It’s about 6 feet by 26 feet.

Unfortunately the ground in Texas is VERY hard this time of year, which makes it very hard to dig. So we had to thoroughly soak the area with the hose before beginning.

The water apparently doesn’t soak in very fast here. J The project got rather messy!

I had to force a smile with how hot it was that afternoon. J

All dug up, just waiting for the Mississippi river to dry! J

Progress so far!

After all the water soaked in (or got carted away a bucket at a time by Yours Truly), we planted two bushes, and put in two birdfeeder hooks (one of which we broke trying to push it into the said HARD ground), with a bird bath in between them. We aren’t quite finished with the project yet. Still to come: more bushes, some landscape tarp, garden rocks, and numerous feeders. Stay tuned to see what the finished product looks like!

"Kingdom Journeys" Book Review

Earlier this year, our family attended a Christian music festival. At the festival, there were lots of tents and booths with vendors and ministry display tables. As I perused those tables, I came across a booth for “Adventures in Missions.” I got to chatting with the man working the table, and we talked for quite awhile.

I came away with lots of reading material, including a book written by the founder of AIM, Seth Barnes. “Kingdom Journeys: Rediscovering the Lost Spiritual Discipline” sat on my shelf for a couple of months before I picked it up recently.

I never would have imagined how quickly I would go through the book! Once I cracked it open, I was amazed at how many times I wanted to nod an emphatic “yes” after reading a paragraph. J

While I think it’s important to note that I don’t agree with everything in the book, I found it to be a very valuable read. Barnes’ words resonated deeply within me. I think that there is such great value in taking what Barnes terms a “Kingdom Journey.” So many people in our culture—both young and old—are never truly stretched and forced out of their comfort zones. Entering into another culture with a clear mission really shakes your world! Jesus and the disciples modeled “Kingdom Journeys” for us in the Bible. Our world will never be the same because of those 13 men!

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“I wanted to fully respond to God’s call, but my faith was shallower than I realized. I had trusted Jesus to save me from hell, but I hadn’t begun to understand the life He offered before death.”

“It took a physical journey to complete a spiritual one.”

“When people go on a pilgrimage to a holy shrine, they go to discover God. But in so doing, they find that God is not in the destination, but the journey. . . A kingdom journey removes the scales from our eyes and allows us to see God all around and even within.”

“Somewhere in the midst of our journeying, we begin to wake up to spiritual reality. What was blurry, starts to come into focus. And when it does, we can’t help but ask, ‘Why? Why does a journey do this? Why do I have to leave when all I need is already around me?’ A journey is an act of leaving – a process of physical abandon that teaches us how to do the same spiritually. Perhaps, to find your true identity you need to abandon everything else.”

“Where is your life headed?

What is the purpose for your existence?

When will you really be satisfied?”

“We yearn for something more, a hardwiring to search for the kingdom of God itself. That’s why, for all of its consequences and pitfalls, restlessness is not a curse. Restlessness is a gift.”

“Kingdom journeys may differ in their details, but share similar stages. The two-month kingdom journey to Guatemala may take you down the same spiritual road as the two-year Peace Corps trip to Burundi. They all involve a commitment to go. The difference is why you go, what you do when you get there, and how your life changes because of the journey.”

“What sets a kingdom journey apart from gap years, road trips, and volunteer jaunts is the central focus on Jesus’ kingdom. A kingdom journey is first and foremost about expanding God’s reign in the world and increasing it inside our hearts.”

“We go to work, endure traffic, eat our breakfast, lunch and dinner; and go to bed at the same time every day. Routine is normal, even healthy, but if the ruts go too deep, our spirits begin to whither. If we never get out of our comfort zones, we can’t grow into the places God has prepared for us.

“A kingdom journey is most effective when we abandon what we think we cannot abandon. With less, we discover the core of who we are. Our true self emerges from the rubble of the false self.”

“This is the point of a kingdom journey: to learn that life, itself, can be filled with such radical dependence on God that you will never want to return to a “normal” life ever again. You will be wrecked for the ordinary.”

Having been on several missions trips—which I would consider small-scale “Kingdom Journeys”—I can attest to the last quote. Every time I go on a mission trip, I find that returning to what we consider “normal” in America gets harder and harder. What I yearn after is the closeness in my relationship with Christ that comes when I am stripped down to the necessities of life. The more we have of Jesus, the more we will want of Him.

I would highly recommend this book for ages 16 and up. I think you will find it inspiring, convicting, and—hopefully—life-changing!

Around the Yard

As the weather has continued to warm up, lots of projects have been done outside. I posted awhile back about our barn, but it wasn’t quite finished. The original concrete company came back to pour a driveway extension so we could park cars in there more easily. They also poured some ramps by the side doors so we can drive the tractor up and down.

On one of the ramps, we wanted to put our handprints on the cement.

At first, we thought it wasn’t working very well. It seemed to be hardening just in the time it took for all of us to put our prints and initials in. The last few were extremely hard to see.

Our prints just after we finished them.

Surprisingly, the last ones we did (mine and Rubia’s) turned out the most visible! 

Here’s what the barn looks like now.

This past weekend, Rubia and Roma both learned how to use our hand mower! We think it’s very important for girls to learn some of the “guy” chores and the guys to learn some of the “girl” chores, so that we’re all better prepared for life. The twins did great! With 5 acres of property, I have a feeling their help will be enlisted more often to help with the mowing. J

*What are some of your summer projects? Please share in the comments; we’d love to be inspired! J*

Babysitting and Ben's Birthday

Ben’s actual birthday included some more celebration, even though we had done his birthday trip a few days before.

For breakfast, we celebrated by having Puffy Pancakes, a definite favorite around here!

During the morning/early afternoon, we actually babysat some kids from church. They had fun playing, going on a short walk (it was SUPER hot that day), eating lunch, and baking healthy peanut butter cookies with me.

For dinner that evening, we had the American Special: burgers hot off the grill, cool watermelon slices, potato chips, potato salad, and lemonade!

For his birthday “cake,” Ben chose a form of dessert pizza. It had a chocolate chip cookie base, a peanut butter filling, a chocolate cake on top, all smothered in chocolate frosting, and garnished with Reese’s candy chunks. It was definitely good (recipe coming soon!)

Then he opened up his gifts. He got a few movies, a speaker for his Mp3 player, some new clothes, and new basketball gear.

We are so grateful for Ben and all the wonderful years we’ve had with him! He is quickly turning into a young man, and we look forward to what the next year of his life will bring! 

Father's Day

In honor of all the fathers who have blessed our lives—some who are with us today, and others whom we look forward to seeing in heaven—we want to repost this article written by Stephen Kendrick, and posted by Doug Phillips. Happy Father’s Day!

 

The Secret Habit of Great Dads

 

A Special Father’s Day Charge from Stephen Kendrick

by Stephen Kendrick, June 12, 2013

 

As young boys, my brothers and I would head out the front door of our home in Smyrna, Georgia to eagerly explore the woods across the street with our neighborhood friends.

 

Swinging on vines. Killing snakes. Shooting fireworks at one another. As I look back at the dangers we dove into, I can see that God was constantly sparing us of many more emergency room visits than we deserved.

 

As the youngest son, my personal explorations also took me deep into the uncharted territories of our suburban home. Crawling under beds and hiding in closets, I became very familiar with almost every inch of our house.

 

But there were a few times in my adventures when I’d wander in on my dad unexpectedly. I never found him looking at inappropriate magazines or using drugs. But multiple times, I caught him in his room or in his closet on his knees . . . praying for us and our family.

 

You can tell a lot about a man’s character by what you stumble upon him doing when he’s alone. And in my home, I was impacted deeply by how I saw my father willingly bowing before God.

 

Over the years, I remembered seeing our family’s needs being miraculously met when the exact amount of money dad was praying for would show up out of the blue. I saw how God carried us during hard times, clearly guided major decisions, and strategically provided key people and resources to help my father start a Christian ministry in the late 1980s.

 

Dad prayed and God worked. It was undeniable.

 

There was clearly a powerful and loving God whose ears were attentive to our gray-headed father’s desperate pleas. And my brothers and I had a front row seat to this reality.

 

Now with four children of my own, I can honestly say that my dad’s example and the Word of God have taught me that prayer is one of the most important responsibilities I have as a father.

 

As men who will one day give an account to God for how we have led our families (Hebrews 13:17), all fathers have been given the ultimate responsibility as the heads of their homes for the physical and spiritual welfare of their children (1 Timothy 3:4, Proverbs 17:6).

 

But God knows that we are sorely inadequate on our own and that we will not be successful or found faithful without His ever-present help. We must learn to constantly rely on Him in prayer.

 

No matter how smart or sufficient you may think you are, your children will always be subject to circumstances beyond your reach. You cannot always protect them, provide for their every need, or control the constant influences around their lives. You won’t always know their hearts, and you definitely don’t know their future.

 

But we can all rest in the fact that there is a loving God Who understands and loves our children more than we do. He can go with them and guide them when we can’t. He can protect them and influence them in every situation. And He invites us to place each of them and our every concern into His loving arms.

 

Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:11). This is an invitation to prayer.

 

Imagine it. The Sovereign God of the universe has chosen to allow you to know Him, talk to Him, and make requests of Him like a beloved son may ask and receive things from his compassionate father. Prayer is a daily opportunity for us to talk to God about every facet and detail of our children’s lives.

 

You can bank on it that the devil has already been trying to discourage and distract you from praying for your children by telling you that you are too busy to pray or that your prayers are ineffective. But Jesus has promised us: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

 

Now granted, the Bible makes it clear that there are keys to praying effectively. For our prayers to be unhindered, the Scriptures say that we must know God (John 14:6), be right with Him (Psalm 66:18), be right with others (Mark 11:22-26; 1 Peter 3:7), and also have our hearts right (James 1:5-8; 4:6). And anytime this is true in your life, then you can get busy praying knowing that “the effective prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).

 

We are all unqualified on our own. But through the mercy and access to God that Jesus attained for us through His death on the cross, we can “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

 

It is by uniting our hearts with Christ and keeping aligned with His will that we place ourselves in a position to prayerfully bring about more good for our children than almost anything else we could do on earth (John 15:7).

 

So, on this Father’s Day weekend, I would like to exhort all dads to take a step of courageous faith into the practice of praying four different types of prayers for your children.

 

PRAYERS OF DEDICATION (1 Samuel 1:11, Proverbs 16:3): Even as Joseph and Mary dedicated Jesus as a newborn in the temple, we too should willingly commit all of our children’s lives to the glory of God. Our Lord has faithfully demonstrated that He blesses and takes good care of that which has been entrusted to Him.

 

Anytime you as a father start something new, your fatherly prayers of dedication should follow. New children, new jobs, new houses, new years, and new days are all new opportunities to stop and thank God for His goodness and re-purpose the new beginning for His glory and place it under His watchful care.

 

PRAYERS OF ASSOCIATION (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18): It is the will of God for fathers to pray for, with, and around their children. Regular prayer in our homes can draw our kids closer to God while redirecting their attention away from their daily problems and onto the One who holds every solution. If a father is unwilling to trust God with his temporary needs, why should he expect his children to want to trust God with their eternal souls?

 

If you don’t know what to pray about, then consider what you are currently worried about. Your worries are merely burdens you are currently carrying in your own strength that you haven’t yet cast fully upon the Lord’s strength (Philippians 4:6-7). “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

 

PRAYERS OF BLESSING (Ephesians 1:3, Luke 3:22): Thirdly, fathers should learn to pray prayers of blessing over their families. You can do this by speaking encouraging and loving words over their lives while asking God to bring about their maximum physical and spiritual success (Psalm 20). So pray often for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done in their blooming lives.

 

In my family growing up, my parents would let Scripture teach them how to pray for us. They often prayed Isaiah 54:13-17 and Psalm 91 over us in the car as we drove down the road.

 

When your children overhear you thanking God for them, and telling God how much you love them and want His very best for them, it can change them forever.

 

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION (Exodus 17:12): Lastly, fathers must learn to confront evil, problems, and any crisis in their families with the weapon of prayer.

 

Ephesians 6 tells us that we are to put on our spiritual armor and get busy praying so that we will be ready to stand firm in the day of evil. In prayer, we wage war (Ephesians 6:10-19) against the spiritual forces that want “to steal and to kill and to destroy” our children’s purity and faith (John 10:10). If you fight your family’s battles in prayer first, you will see much more fruitfulness and effectiveness in resolving problems when you get up off your knees.

 

In conclusion, if a man desires great things for his children, then he should request great things from God. But do not let things lack and fail simply because you lacked to pray and failed to ask (James 4:2). As the Lord responds to your requests in His perfect timing, your children will get to see His power and handiwork firsthand.

 

Then one day they can share with their own children about the way they were forever changed by seeing their earthly father prayerfully introduce them to the powerful and loving care of their Heavenly Father.

 

Chick-fil-A Leadercast

This past weekend, Dad, Ben, and I had the opportunity to attend the “Chick-fil-A Leadercast.” This annual conference on leadership is actually held in Atlanta, GA, but our church was one of 750 satellite sites.

We left our house bright and early that morning. At the conference, we met up with 2 other men who work with my Dad (one actually goes to our church.) We all sat together and had a great time!

The band “Needtobreathe” opened up the conference with a song. Then emcee Tripp Crosby and host Michael Hyatt welcomed all the attendees and gave an introduction to the conference.

The very first speaker was Andy Stanley. I’ve heard him preach before, and speak on leadership. While I wasn’t a big fan of his as a preacher (sorry, Pastor Randy! J) he is a good speaker and teacher when it comes to leadership principles. He talked about clarity versus complexity in leadership and how to keep leadership simple. His “bottom line” was “Growth creates complexity which requires simplicity.”

The next speaker was David Allen. He talked about leadership in crisis situations. One of my favorite quotes from his talk was, “Perspective and control are the 2 aspects of self-management.”

I was really looking forward to the next speaker. Linda Cohn interviewed Sanya Richards-Ross, renowned American Olympian with 4 gold medals (she has run more sub 50’s in the 400 meter than any other female in history.) She talked about her career and also on the need for focus in a world of distractions. She says that in a race, she executes the task in the moment. She encouraged the audience to focus on the victory in the midst of adversity.

Following this talk, we had a short break. The second session opened up with a brief discussion about World Vision Micro Loans. Just for the conference, an anonymous donor had agreed to match every dollar donated. Over $105,000 was raised for World Vision through the conference!

The next speaker was famed author and psychologist, Dr. Henry Cloud. He is the author of the many “Boundaries” books. It was no surprise when he talked about boundaries in leadership. As a psychologist, he also spoke about the brain and certain ways it works that pertain to leadership.

The next speaker turned out to be my favorite from the whole conference. John Maxwell is not only a great speaker and author, but he really engaged the audience and used appropriate wit and humor in his discussion. He talked primarily about communication in leadership. Effective communication is something that I have come to realize is incredibly important in all areas of life. It is especially important in leadership, because if you cannot communicate your vision and goals to others, they will not follow you as a leader. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Mr. Maxwell’s talk:

“A communicator takes something complicated and makes it simple.”

“Everyone communicates, but few connect.”

“Having a leadership position does NOT make a good leader.”

“Are leaders born? Have you ever met an unborn leader? J”

“Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.”

We broke for lunch around 11:15 p.m. Of course, it was catered by Chick-fil-A. J We had chicken sandwiches, chips, fruit cups, and chocolate chip cookies. We enjoyed talking more with Mr. K and Mr. J during lunch. Events like this always seem to be more fun with friends!

We finished our lunch pretty early, so we took Mr. K and Mr. J on a tour of the church. Although we have been in our new church building for 6 months, there are still some unfinished areas. It’s fun to walk around sometimes and see things slowly being completed!

During session 3, we heard from Mike Krzyzweski, known simply as “Coach K.” He is the famed coach of the Duke basketball team, as well as the American 2012 Olympic Basketball Coach. He talked about leadership in general, honing in on success, communication, and standards in leadership.

The next speaker wasn’t actually at the conference, but the interview had been taped to be shown. John Maxwell interviewed Condoleezza Rice, famed government official. I honestly wasn’t really expecting to enjoy her talk as much. When I think of female politicians, I tend to think of liberal, loud, over-bearing personalities. I was rather taken aback by the gracious and quiet personality of Condoleezza Rice. She talked a lot about the character of a leader.

Following this interview, they broke and introduced a very young entrepreneur and leader. Nine-year-old Caine Monroy started his own arcade with several cardboard games. Nirvan Mullick—a film maker—stumbled across Caine’s Arcade and became his first customer. A relationship was built, and Nirvan had a burden to help Caine’s Arcade succeed. He went on to start the Imagination Foundation, which exists to “Find, Foster, and Fund Creativity and Entrepreneurship in Children.” It was a really inspiring story, especially since Caine reminds me a lot of Josiah. J

We had a short break before the final session. We went outside on the patio and talked for almost the whole break! Ben and I had fun talking with Mr. J about everything from running (which we all love), to youth ministry, future plans, and more.

In session 4, Jack Welch (CEO of GE for many years) was interviewed by Dr. Henry Cloud. While his talk was probably least relevant to me, as it was pointed to business leaders and people who have employees under them, I still learned from him. He talked about 3 important keys for a leader known as “The 3 S’s: self-confidence, simplicity, and speed.”

The ending talk was given by Lieutenant Commander Rorke Denver. He is a Navy Seal involved in training. He was also an actor in “Act of Valor” and has recently released a book. He talked about training for Navy Seals and did a little exercise with the audience. He told us to raise our arms as high as we could. Then he told us to raise them one more inch. Most of us could. His point was that we can almost always do more. He also talked about behavior in leadership. He said, “As leaders, at a minimum, people will mimic your behavior.” He also emphasized that “Calm is contagious.”

Me, Dad, and Ben following the conference.

The conference finished around 3:30 p.m. I had never heard of this conference before, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I learned a lot and took pages and pages of notes that I look forward to reviewing. I can definitely recommend the conference for high-schoolers and up. Although not everyone thinks of themselves as a “leader,” we all lead someone whether we realize it or not. It’s important that we know how to be a GOOD leader!

Father-Daughter Retreat Part 2

~ Posted by Rubia

 

Hi all! I’m continuing the story about the wonderful weekend Roma and I had with our Dad in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Yesterday Roma posted about what we did up until after high tea on Saturday, when we had the privilege of meeting two of our favorite speakers at the conference, Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin.

 

After that, the day was not over yet! We went upstairs and changed clothes to tour the Callaway gardens.

 

The flowers were so pretty! I think that almost all the pictures I took that weekend were of flowers! The area was all so beautiful and I think that it is especially so in the spring time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Although it was rainy most of the weekend, I’m glad that it cleared up a bit that afternoon so we could be outside.

 

 

After we toured this pioneer house, we made our way to the butterfly house.

 

This brought back funny memories of when Roma and I were afraid of butterflies when we were little. We went through a butterfly house many years ago and we screamed and ran from the butterflies. This time we were doing just the opposite—we were trying to get the butterflies to land on us! There is still one butterfly that bothers us just a little bit though, and that is the owl butterfly. This one has what looks like an owl’s eye on both of its wings. It looks a little bit scary, but it is also kind of neat. J

 

Walking through another part of the gardens, we made our way to the chapel. I’m not quite sure how often this is done, but sometimes in the afternoon someone plays the pipe organ in the chapel, until 4:00 p.m. It was so close to 4 as we started fast-walking towards the chapel, still some ways away. We could hear it from a distance and that motivated us to go faster. It sounded beautiful! We made it to the chapel at 4:00 sharp when it stopped and the player was gone! Oh, well. At least we heard it from a distance.

 

The stained-glass windows were very pretty. There was a window to represent each season of the year. At the front there was a cross on top of a rock reminding us of Christ the Solid Rock, and the Bible in front was open to 1 Corinthians 13.

 

 

 

 

That evening, we went to the Gardens restaurant for dinner, which was more formal. When Bianca went to the same retreat several years ago, she and Dad went to this same restaurant ~ a really nice place with delicious food!

 

Roma and I had some really good trout with broccoli (I think it was broccoli . . . J) and a grits cake stuffed with cheese and herbs. For dessert we had bananas foster. It was all so good!

 

 

Back in the conference room after dinner, the next speaker was Mr. Curtis Bowers. His message was specifically to the fathers in the room. He spoke of the importance of godly fathers in a dark world and how God has chosen us to shine in it. He talked about the ways in which God has blessed his family as they work together. (By God’s blessing, they worked together to make a really good movie called, “Agenda.”) I quote something he said that I think is very true:

 

“God will bless a father who has his children involved in his life. Working together as a family nourishes relationships and blesses other people.” He went on to say that the saddest words a father could say at the end of his life are “what would’ve been.” It is important to be faithful and purposeful.

 



Photo Credit: Roma.



The next speakers we actually Skyped. They were a man and his daughter, who is unfortunately in the hospital with cancer. But their message was very encouraging. They spoke of families (specifically fathers and daughters) going through trials together and the importance of being strong in those trials. Trials will either strengthen relationships or destroy them. This is something that our family has also been learning together during this time. I believe that God uses trials to strengthen our relationship with Him. The young woman with cancer whom we Skyped said, “If we didn’t know trials, we wouldn’t know God and His power and that He is our rock and strength.” I would say amen to that!

 

Another reality is that the world around is watching us and our reactions to trials such as these. What do we want them to see? Do we want them to see Christ in us?

 

Photo Credit: Roma.



The next Sunday in church Mr. Scott Brown (speaker and author) preached a sermon from Matthew 25 (the parable of the 10 virgins), about being ready for Christ’s second coming. This was also a great message.

 



Photo Credit: Roma.



This retreat was such a blessing. I am grateful to have had the opportunity! I admire the people who do retreats and conferences like this because of their vision: the building of families with Christ alone as the foundation. I also met some really great people and made friends that I hope will be life-long ones!

 

I will close this post with one request: I would love for ya’ll to join me in praying for my dear Dad. This has been a difficult time for him, having his parents pass away not long ago, and trying to deal with many issues. Thank you so very much! (And thanks to those of you who already have been praying!)