Deurty

Money, money, money... money. Where your treasure isn't gives a good indication of where your heart isn't. My wife and I decided when we were first married to regularly give financially back to God a portion of what He entrusted to us. We have been faithful in this, but I have been more challenged over the past couple of years to take a second and third look at how we use money, what we spend it on, and how we can be more generous. John Wesley posed four questions that helped him decide how to spend money: 1. In spending this money, am I acting as if I owned it, or am I acting as if I owned it, or am I acting as the Lord's trustee? 2. What Scripture requires me to spend this money this way? 3. Can I offer up this purchase as a sacrifice to the Lord? 4. Will God reward me for this expenditure at the resurrection of the just? How could I bless others if I made some small changes? What if I cut mochas out of my spending? I'd have about $200 a year to give toward somethi...

Well, I love being a dad. I am doing swimming lessons with my two year old son. I am in the pool with him and I am trying to help him learn how to kick, be okay about getting his face wet, and reaching out with his arms to paddle. When he gets into the water he immediately crawls up my outstretched arms to my neck and puts a death grip on me. He holds me close and his panicked look goes away and is replaced with a smile. I love being his dad - the one he holds on to in the deep end. I know he doesn't have to fear - that he has what it takes - that I won't let anything happen to him - but all he knows is that he needs to hang on tight in the deep water. Right now I need God to be my daddy in the deep water. Cannonball, sd

AWESOME! "24" - my favorite show in the world (with Lost as a close second) is back in action. Jack Bauer (pictured) experiences more in two hours than most people do it two years. I spell suspense: "twenty four." BOY THAT WAS CHEESY - like some of my kids Mac and cheese. (again cheesy.) Anyways - we are digging into the ten commandments and this week we are gazing upon the commandment about remembering the Sabbath. I grew up with Sunday being our day of rest unto God and it usually involved me trying to fake a fever to get out of evening church. Did you grow up with a day of rest and if so do you have any interesting stories about your practice of a day of rest with your family? Rest in fleece, sd

We found out. It is a boy. Let the name game begin. Eleva-Deur is taken, sd

Well, I am in week number two of becoming less of a man. (In the waist department that is.) The diet has been good and I have been enjoying losing weight. I won't be able to tell for a while, but I think there is movement in the right direction. Played basketball last night with the fellas and played awful, but at least I can blame it on terrible knees and pain. I don't think those had anything to do with my inability to catch or shoot or dribble since those deal more with my arms and hands. Shoot! Gotta jet - starting to look ahead at my chat for next Sunday on the Sabbath. I have personally really enjoyed the Sabbath time that Vicki and I have been taking with the kids and the things we have been doing. It is like a Old Country Buffet for my soul - minus the food poisoning and starchy foods. :) Later Seder! sd

Today the sun came out! Praise God! I thought we had entered a nuclear winter. A bit dramatic, but the clouds have been thick and unrelenting until today. We began our conversation series entitled: Life is Waiting. It is a study on the Ten Commandments. This week my lovely wife, Vicki, and I will be getting an ultrasound for this little one in the belly of my wife. The question... Do we find out the sex or not? We already have been blessed with healthy kids... a boy and a girl. So... do we find out or wait? I'll accept your counsel. Thou shalt leave comments or thou shall surely die, sd

We have just launched 168 straight hours of prayer from the Watermark Hub prayer room. I have already taken two shifts and the time flew for each. If you are interested in being prayed for or are in the area and would like to take an hour shift let me know. I am personally excited about the fruit from this time. Happy New Year. January 1st - I ate well. Now I just gotta keep that up so I can shrink the waist down! :) deurty deurty deur sd