Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Beauty
I have been reading some blogs of Melissa's friends, and there has been a common theme lately. Beauty. I only will say look at Dayna and Lint C (Lindsey)'s blogs. The entries and comments brought tears to my eyes. God is amazing, and to think His beauty on earth which can put our hearts to rest, and calm our souls, is nothing compared to our Heavenly home in His presence. I feel like a halmark card, but please take the meaning, not the wording, from what I have typed. And find your ideas of beauty, and tell me what God has shown you. God Bless. -adam
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Makes You Think
Hi there.
First off, I want to say Happy Easter. Celebrate, Sing Praises, Glorify the Risen Lord. I was reading through some other blogs last night, and came across something that made me really think, and I know it will do the same for you. I was on Mark Koops' blog and read about his take on the "Big Idea" (Veggie Tales) falling apart. This promted me to read the account for myself. You can read it here. If you go, make sure you have a bit of time, because you won't want to stop till you are done. The account of what happened is something that isn't reserved to business and corporations. So often we start off in life with a dream, and a green light from God. Things are going great, and we are happy. Then we slowly (at first) and systematicly, ignore the little promtings that something isn't right. We have many ways of justifying it from "the devil is putting doubts in my head" to just pretending we didn't hear the voice at all. We think the setbacks that are mounting up on us, in whatever form that are, are challenges for us to trust God and push ahead even more, because God gave us this idea, and surely He wants the same things we do out of this. So we plunge deeper into it, and risk even more, under the umbrella of "God will use me to affect the rest of the world." Please don't get me wrong, this is a noble, and very plauseable idea. The problem lies in the fact that we haven't actually asked God if what He started, and what we are attempting, are following the same path. God dosen't NEED us to do His will, in fact, it is the opposite. We NEED to do His will. Towards the end of his account, Vischer says that when it was done, and the company sold,
" I felt about 100 pounds lighter. I felt released. Not like someone who has been unexpect-edly let out of prison, but more like someone who, having attempted to pull a very heavy weight up a very steep hill for a very long time, has suddenly been told they can stop."
Then came the reflection. When all was said and done, and people were ready to hear who's fault it was, it is here that Vischer brings it all back home, back to the man who started out with a dream to share God's love in an entertaining way. He reflected and layed blame for it all on himself. He layed no blame on the in-experience of some of his staff, or the continual increase in budget, or even the lawsuit from Lyrick Studios. They had all played a part, but the responsibility was his. He admits to having ignored his uneasy feelings, and what he started out to do in the first place. God does have plans for us, and "big ideas" and we are destined for greatness. I will not pretend that I know more then Vischer, or that I would even have made it as far as to start a successful company. But I think that he would want us to take something from his experience, and what I take is this. The very moment we take anything, be it a business, a relationship, ect., and make it our own, even a tiny bit, we are telling God we know better. Thanks for the help, but I think that I can do this little thing on my own. Sounds innocent at first, surely we can make tiny decisions without going to Him for everything. But one of the biggest tools the devil uses is self-reliance. It starts off small, but it can grow, as in the case of "Big Idea" for example, and affect so many of the lives it started out to help. I know that the lessons that can be learnt from this experience are infinate, but even if we take away one thing, then we owe God our thanks. Most of us can learn this lesson without the heartache of experiencing it on such a dramatic and public level. Reliance on God does not have a restriction to the "hard decisions". If God trusts us with the little and big things, do we not owe Him so much more? My challenge to you is to start with one day, and honestly ask, (and listen) for God's response to as many things as you can, even the "simple, no brainers" of everyday life. See how your day goes, and reply back to me. I am curious to see what you have to say.
Once again, Happy Easter. Take care.
-adam
First off, I want to say Happy Easter. Celebrate, Sing Praises, Glorify the Risen Lord. I was reading through some other blogs last night, and came across something that made me really think, and I know it will do the same for you. I was on Mark Koops' blog and read about his take on the "Big Idea" (Veggie Tales) falling apart. This promted me to read the account for myself. You can read it here. If you go, make sure you have a bit of time, because you won't want to stop till you are done. The account of what happened is something that isn't reserved to business and corporations. So often we start off in life with a dream, and a green light from God. Things are going great, and we are happy. Then we slowly (at first) and systematicly, ignore the little promtings that something isn't right. We have many ways of justifying it from "the devil is putting doubts in my head" to just pretending we didn't hear the voice at all. We think the setbacks that are mounting up on us, in whatever form that are, are challenges for us to trust God and push ahead even more, because God gave us this idea, and surely He wants the same things we do out of this. So we plunge deeper into it, and risk even more, under the umbrella of "God will use me to affect the rest of the world." Please don't get me wrong, this is a noble, and very plauseable idea. The problem lies in the fact that we haven't actually asked God if what He started, and what we are attempting, are following the same path. God dosen't NEED us to do His will, in fact, it is the opposite. We NEED to do His will. Towards the end of his account, Vischer says that when it was done, and the company sold,
" I felt about 100 pounds lighter. I felt released. Not like someone who has been unexpect-edly let out of prison, but more like someone who, having attempted to pull a very heavy weight up a very steep hill for a very long time, has suddenly been told they can stop."
Then came the reflection. When all was said and done, and people were ready to hear who's fault it was, it is here that Vischer brings it all back home, back to the man who started out with a dream to share God's love in an entertaining way. He reflected and layed blame for it all on himself. He layed no blame on the in-experience of some of his staff, or the continual increase in budget, or even the lawsuit from Lyrick Studios. They had all played a part, but the responsibility was his. He admits to having ignored his uneasy feelings, and what he started out to do in the first place. God does have plans for us, and "big ideas" and we are destined for greatness. I will not pretend that I know more then Vischer, or that I would even have made it as far as to start a successful company. But I think that he would want us to take something from his experience, and what I take is this. The very moment we take anything, be it a business, a relationship, ect., and make it our own, even a tiny bit, we are telling God we know better. Thanks for the help, but I think that I can do this little thing on my own. Sounds innocent at first, surely we can make tiny decisions without going to Him for everything. But one of the biggest tools the devil uses is self-reliance. It starts off small, but it can grow, as in the case of "Big Idea" for example, and affect so many of the lives it started out to help. I know that the lessons that can be learnt from this experience are infinate, but even if we take away one thing, then we owe God our thanks. Most of us can learn this lesson without the heartache of experiencing it on such a dramatic and public level. Reliance on God does not have a restriction to the "hard decisions". If God trusts us with the little and big things, do we not owe Him so much more? My challenge to you is to start with one day, and honestly ask, (and listen) for God's response to as many things as you can, even the "simple, no brainers" of everyday life. See how your day goes, and reply back to me. I am curious to see what you have to say.
Once again, Happy Easter. Take care.
-adam
Friday, April 6, 2007
Farming and Graditude
Hey Everyone,
Well I have some news for those of you who are going to read this. We are getting a bunch more pigs. Basically what that comes down to is that we will be pig farmers. Not big enough to have the title of a "pig barn", but by August we should have about 20 pigs. We are hoping to make a bit of money with them. What else is there? My Sweetheart is sick, so I am thinking about her right now too. Well Easter is coming and the Sacrifice Jesus made for us is brought to the front of our minds at this time of year, and maybe not often enough. I think back to the time I spent at N.B.I. and how much I learned about what I believe. In the end what really stands out is how much He did for us, and how we cannot even come close to a understanding just how much it was. The little sacrifices we make for the ones we love can sometimes seem like such a big thing for us. I am so very thankful that God isn't like that with us. So today I thank My God for the ultimate Sacrifice of His Son. Please forgive us for taking You and often the ones we love, for granted. May we strive to give You the glory and honour You deserve. Happy Easter......
The Levers
Well I have some news for those of you who are going to read this. We are getting a bunch more pigs. Basically what that comes down to is that we will be pig farmers. Not big enough to have the title of a "pig barn", but by August we should have about 20 pigs. We are hoping to make a bit of money with them. What else is there? My Sweetheart is sick, so I am thinking about her right now too. Well Easter is coming and the Sacrifice Jesus made for us is brought to the front of our minds at this time of year, and maybe not often enough. I think back to the time I spent at N.B.I. and how much I learned about what I believe. In the end what really stands out is how much He did for us, and how we cannot even come close to a understanding just how much it was. The little sacrifices we make for the ones we love can sometimes seem like such a big thing for us. I am so very thankful that God isn't like that with us. So today I thank My God for the ultimate Sacrifice of His Son. Please forgive us for taking You and often the ones we love, for granted. May we strive to give You the glory and honour You deserve. Happy Easter......
The Levers
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Our First Blog
Hi. This is our first time one this thing. We are trying to keep up with so many of our friends who seem to be getting these. There isn't a lot to talk about right now, but for those who check back every once in awhile, we may eventually have more. Today my friend Lynden and I (Adam) are doing some renovations to the house my beautiful bride Melissa and I live in. Nothing much, just some paneling in the kitchen for now, but yeah. We are trying to get ready for spring as well. I may as well tell you about our home. We have a 4 bedroom house on a farm yard with two barns. We have fenced in pasture land and corrals. Our pets include a 6 month old lab/collie cross and 3 cats. We are also raising 8 pigs to butcher in the fall meat for us as well as to sell. We may include some pictures on here of the pets yet. Melissa started a house cleaning business last October, and I have since started working with her part time, as she has been getting a number of clients. We also hope to put in a big garden this year and maybe get some chickens to eat and sell. Guess we will see what God has planned. That is all I have for now. Take care and God Bless.
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