The Griffin

 Isaiah 31:4-5
⁴ For thus the LORD said to me, "As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey,
   and when a band of shepherds is called out against him
he is not terrified by their shouting
   or daunted at their noise,
so the LORD of hosts will come down
   to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.
⁵ Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts
   will protect Jerusalem;
he will protect and deliver it;
   he will spare and rescue it."


God hunts down his prey and draws them to him. Once they are His, He stands over them and jealously guards them and watches over them.

More Crafties

Here's some more of my new creations.  Dan's favorite is the black and red one.

A comb

 

These are bobby pins

A headband

A headband

A comb

A comb

Thankful at 26

I turned over-a-quarter-of-a-century yesterday.  I feel over the hill in youngness now, like 25 was the peak and from now on I can't be referred to as "young" any more.  It's okay though, John Piper says that he doesn't understand people who want to look young because signs of age are supposed to be marks of dignity.  Not that I'm showing signs of old age, but need to remember that birthdays shouldn't be seen as a loss of another year of life, but one step closer to present and future sanctification.

Brittany made me this sweet cake this week. She actually meant to make it a drum set cake, but it didn't work out.  Then she had the audacity to think that I would be upset that it wasn't cool enough!  I assured her that I was perfectly happy with her creation. 

Although I think she was silly to worry about my like or dislike of the cake, I can understand why she would be unsure about my feelings toward it.

In truth, I am not a very emotionally expressive person. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have been outwardly expressive of the way I'm feeling. And most of those times would be when I was mad at Bindy for getting into the trash while we were gone.

Last Sunday night, Matt, a friend from church, preached a sermon on loving God.  He emphasized the need to have strong emotions towards God and people (Matthew 22:34-40).  While love isn't just having emotions, emotions are just as much evidence of love as actions.  For example, I can do loving things for my wife 24-7, but if I don't ever show her any loving emotion, my actions won't amount to anything. I think this is part of what Paul meant when he wrote "though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."

What is one way that I can use emotion in a way that magnifies the Gospel?

One of the easiest ways to express emotion is to be thankful. God has given mankind absolutely everything that they have, see, and experience.  I can take this fact and use it as a means of emotional response to God.  I can thank Him for this tree, that car, this person, that dog, this trial, even my last breath; for anything at any point in time!

Also, like Paul I can also be thankful for people and how they impact my life. In this way you can convey your feelings towards someone while giving credit to the one who really deserves it.  There are many people in my life that I don't thank enough. Imagine the difference it would make if I regularly took the time to look those people in the eye and express my gratitude for the way God has used them.

By the way, thank you God for Brittany and her desire to show her love for me by making a cool cake!

Brit's Crafties

My mom is a very artsy lady. Growing up, she was always painting and drawing and creating decor for our home. Tristan inherited most of her crafty genes but I managed to get away with a artsy bone or two. Poor Tara got nothing...just brains. I tend to hop from hobby to hobby. This week, it's hair accessories. I was super pumped about it for a few days. I was going to be able to earn some income from home doing something fun. But Dan became the voice of reality and let me know that it would be a huge endeavor to ever make a profit. So, now I'm just doing it for fun and presents. I bought about 50 headbands so if anyone wants one, just let me know! Here's a taste of what I've done so far.

I sewed roses from ribbon I found off an old shirt and turned it into this cute comb.

I had a belt buckle I bought ages ago that I never used. And some spiffy material from an old shirt.

 I sewed roses from material and added an old, pearl button.

 Made roses from black ribbon and added a butterfly!

 This is a comb with a petal and twirly thing. Added some white roses and button.

I'm sure there will be more to come.  I can't seem to think about much else these days.  Let me know if you have any neat ideas!

Music and The Gospel

I have a half an hour commute to and from work every day.  When I mention this in conversation, the response is usually "Built in God time, right?".  Of course, my response is always to the affirmative, but that is not always the case. Much of my weekly commute time is spent listening to music. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on my attitude.

How can I listen to music in a way that honors the Gospel?

• Don't let it keep me from silence. Music can be like opium, dulling the senses, drowning out our thoughts, shutting us off from the world.  The Bible says, "Be still and know that I am God."  Sometime music keeps me from silence that I need in order to think and pray.
• Don't let it be a negative influence. Music is a very powerful influence. It can help to rember lyrics and engage those lyrics emotionally. If I'm listening to music that is full of negative lyrics, Its going to help me remember negative lyrics and to engage those lyrics emotionally (road rage, anyone?).
• See it for what it is. Music is God's idea. He made it for us to enjoy, but in a way that ultimately helps us get our joy from Him. God has created musicians and given their abilities. When I listen, I should be thankful for the gift of music and praise the God that created art, that we might find our joy in Him.

 ""All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything."  -1 Cor. 6:12

The Gospel

The Gospel. What is it?  Who cares?  Why should I care?  How does it effect life?    All good questions, all important questions.

What is it? - The best summary I think I've heard is this: "God saves sinners."

1. God - The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who breathed the universe into existence, who is perfect, who never changes, who created man in order that men might find their joy in Him forever.
2. Sinners - All men and women in their natural state, who do not find their joy in God, but exalted themselves over Him.  Not only have all sinned, but all have been born sinners, hate God, and are totally incapable of doing anything to change their state.  Sinners are under the wrath of God and headed for eternal destruction.
3. Saves - God rescues sinners from the wrath they deserve through the suffering and death of Jesus (the sinless man) for their sins; past, present and future.  This makes sinners acceptable to God, who no longer sees a filthy sinner but a child who he loves.

Who cares?

• God cares. From eternity past the Gospel has been his plan.  All of creation, from beginning to end, is about the glory of God in His dealing with sinful creation through Jesus Christ.  For eternity future, Christ will be praised for his work that is the Gospel.
• Christians care. They recognize how depraved they were in the sight of God.  They see what a great salvation has been purchased for them through Christ.  They desire to take the message of the Gospel to the ends of the earth so that Christ will be glorified through the salvation all who will trust in his sacrifice.

Why should I care?

• I should care because, if the Gospel is true, I am now facing the eternal, fierce wrath of God.
• I should care because Christ has said all who come to me will be saved!
• I should care because in God there is perfectly fulfilling joy forever!

How does it affect life? - It affects everything in life.  Where I work, who I marry, how I treat my kids, what I spend money on, my attitude...

• This is the ambition of A Ware Affair, to ruminate on how the Gospel touches various aspects of life;  the spiritual nature behind practical life.

A sporadic does of virtual show and te