My friends for Fay Day

There's nothing like a rainy day for study! - We're going to see the first time the word "holy" is used in scripture this week.... it refers to dirt.

Pray for Alex Taylor

If you give each week at Providence, a portion of your offering is used to support missionary Alex Taylor. He planted 5 healthy churches in Costa Rica and moved to Panama to work with the Guaymi Indians last year. He was our main point of contact for the church structure we built this spring. Alex and his wife Mirtha have given their lives for the advancement of the gospel.

I received an email this week from Dayanne, Alex's daughter asking us to pray for him. He is in the hospital in Costa Rica with heart problems. Please pray for Alex, his family, and his ministry today. I'll keep you posted as soon as I hear more about the situation.

My favorite weather site

Weather Underground

The City of Regret

I read this this morning in a book called Failing Forward

adapted from a parable by Larry Harp:

I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of year, and yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly. This trip was going to be unpleasant and I knew in advance that no real good would come of it. I'm talking about my annual "Guilt Trip."

I got tickets to fly there on Wish I Had airlines. It was an extremely short flight. I got my baggage, which I could not check. I chose to carry it myself all the way. It was weighted down with a thousand memories of what might have been. No one greeted me as I entered the terminal to the Regret City International Airport. I say international because people from all over the world come to this dismal town.

As I checked into the Last Resort Hotel, I noticed that they would be hosting the year's most important event, the Annual Pity Party. I wasn't going to miss that great social occasion. Many of the towns leading citizens would be there.

First, there would be the Done family, you know, Should Have, Would Have and Could Have. Then came the I Had family. You probably know ol' Wish and his clan. Of course, the Opportunities would be present, Missed and Lost. The biggest family would be the Yesterday's. There are far too many of them to count, but each one would have a very sad story to share.

Then Shattered Dreams would surely make and appearance. And It's Their Fault would regale us with stories (excuses) about how things had failed in his life, and each story would be loudly applauded by Don't Blame Me and I Couldn't Help It.

And of course, hours and hours of entertainment would be provided by that renowned storyteller It's Their Fault.

As I prepared to settle in for a really long night, I realized that one person had the power to send all those people home and break up the party; me. All I had to do was return to the present and welcome the new day!

This Weekend At Providence

We're continuing our study of the life of Moses this week. If you've ever blown it and done something you regret, you'll identify with the message this week. God loves to use people who have failed. Join us this week and as we talk about how God is bigger than our failures.

Plan to stay after our 11:00 service for a covered dish lunch - bring your favorite casserole, side-dish, or dessert - and bring PLENTY of it - we'll provide the drinks.

Saturday - Join us at Wards Creek Elementary School at 8am for set up - 9:30 for the first annual blessing of the houses, and stick around until 2:00 to help get the school and classrooms ready for the new year. If you are unable to attend the whole time, just come when you can and stay as long as you are able!

Better Quotes

Someone just emailed these to me

1. A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.

14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?

15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'

Cool Quotes

Reviewing my journal - here's some cool quotes I've read or heard in the last month or so:

"The still small voice of God whispers to us in our pleasures and shouts to us in our pain" - C.S. Lewis

"The roots grow deep when the winds blow strong. Working through is always - always more painful than walking out." - Charles Swindoll

"The greatest thing is to be found at one's post as a child of God, living each day as though it were our last, but planning as though our world might last 100 years." - C.S. Lewis

To live forever
and never feel a thing
To wait a million lifetimes
only to erode and become sand
Wish not for the stone
but for the fire
Last only a moment
but change everything
- Long Beach High School Student - quoted in Teach With Your Heart - p. 120

"It doesn't really matter how great the pressure it; what really matters is where the pressure lies. Whether it comes between you and God, or presses you nearer His heart." - Hudson Taylor

"God rewards faithfulness, not fruitfulness, there are some guys who are fruitful but not faithful." - Mark Driscoll

"If God brought you to it, He'll bring you through it."- Johnny Hunt

"Teach a man his rights and you'll have revolution, teach a man his responsibility and you'll have revival."
"What you are becoming is more important that what you are doing." - Scott Yirka

"He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in; thy sow fields and plan vineyards and get a fruitful yield. By His blessing they multiply greatly" Ps. 107:35-38

"I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. " - Jer. 10:23

A good dog

Thank God for pets. Well, some pets. We had one cat growing up that I'm convinced was possessed or something.

10 years ago God gave us Beulah. Our friends the Popes had some English Bulldog puppies and just up and gave her to us for FREE! - She's one of the best dogs I've ever owned. The night we brought Mikey home from the hospital she slept in his nursery by his crib instead of in her usual spot in our room. Sure, she was expensive every time she went to the vet - (I had a veterinarian friend tell me that 4 bulldogs could keep a vet's office in business for a year) - she drooled and slobbered alot, and every now and then she got really bad gas and usually shared the gift. But she was a good dog. She was loyal, funny, enjoyable, and always happy to see us. She brought excitement and joy into every home she was a part of.

After our house filled up with little people, my mom inherited Beulah. I tried to give her away to strangers but I just couldn't do it. She's been a constant companion to my parents for the last few years and we have really enjoyed seeing her every time we visit Middleburg. When we were down there for Memorial Day, she still barked when Lesli said "Daddy's home!" just like she did when she lived with us.

Sunday, we had dinner at my parents house for my father's 65th birthday. Beulah waddled down to the creek to join us for some fishing twice. She seemed to be fine. She laid down behind my dad's chair where I was sitting and just went to sleep after supper. She didn't see us off as we were leaving as usual. She passed away peacefully. I believe God allowed us to see her one last time because she was His gift to us - James says that every good gift comes from Him, so I have some biblical basis for my belief.

It's a little quieter in Middleburg today. I know my parents really miss her. I know I really miss her. Be sure to take the time to appreciate and thank God for all the good things he puts in your life today, good gifts don't last forever.

Home from Brazil!

Wow - what a week - spent over 48 hours just traveling to and from Salvador, Brazil. I've included a journal entry from Wednesday at the bottom of this post and I've uploaded pictures from the trip here. I'll tell you all a little bit about it at our services tomorrow. We'll be continuing our series in Exodus as we see how God is in control, even when the deck seems like it's stacked against you.

Our children are starting two new series:

ProKids - K-5 will wrap up their series "Berry Blast Theme Park"







Our Preschool Class will begin a series called "Undersea Adventure"


Here's a journal entry I typed Wednesday afternoon - August, 6.

What an amazing trip this has been.
350 men on the first night at the men’s conference – they said it was the first time they had ever experienced and event like that.
The pastor’s conference has been incredible.
I’ve met a man named Marcelo with New Tribes Missions who works with the Indians near the border of Columbia and Venezuela. The nearest town to him is 1000 kilometers away. He will travel to town one time a year to buy groceries because the trek is so difficult up and down the river by boat. He has been there 19 years and has seen 700 people come to know Jesus. He asked us to pray because FARC keeps invading their villages and kidnapping the boys to train them for rebellion.
I went surfing this morning with Jeff. He became a Christian in 1997 and is currently a missionary to and Indian Village a great distance from here. He has planted a church there and wants to plant another before November. In November, Jeff, Adrianna his wife, and their two small children are moving to India to serve as missionaries there. I asked this morning how his in-laws felt about it. He said they were concerned because it is a very dangerous place and they could be killed. His answer was. “If Jesus wants us to die… we’ll die for him.” I really feel blessed to know these people. I am so humbled by their faith, joy, and faithfulness to obey God’s call.
Today, after preaching Philippians 1:12-18, I was talking to Jeff and a pastor who planted a church 6 years ago came by and shook my hand. When he did this, his watch fell off. I helped him pick it up and noticed it seemed to have a cheap rubber –type band. I felt that God wanted me to give him my watch. When I walked over to give it to him I noticed that my watch was set to Florida time, which is an hour behind here. I went for a prayer walk and still felt that God wanted me to give him my watch so I worked with it to re-set the time for Brazil. I wrote in my journal that I would rather give him my watch and miss God than keep my watch and maybe miss God’s blessing of being able to invest in a pastor in Brazil. I knew God would provide a new watch for me.
I sat next to Cesar at lunch and gave him my watch. I explained through a translator that I wanted him to pray for me when if he thought about it when he looked at the watch. He took his watch off and gave it to me. I told him I did not want it and would not accept it. He insisted. I refused. I kept telling him that I did not want the watch … Then I felt that I would be rude if I did not trade watches with him. He told me to pray for him when I thought about him when I saw his watch. I knew God would provide a new watch. I did not think it would be this soon. I’m praying that God will allow me to buy an even better watch and send it to Cesar as a gift soon. I never want to forget this day. God has taught me. He provides. I must simply obey Him, He’ll take care of the consequences.

God will provide.