I Made It Back

Back In Wisconsin

Thank you all for the prayers and encouragement for my journey home to Lacrosse Wisconsin. I made it back last night (12/23/2006) at 5:30 p.m. just having had a disaster free 1100 miles trip! I made it just under 16 hours, and spent a bit over $200 dollars in gas! I want to thank Jonathan Moorhead for writing my "Yearing for the Infinite" on Firday, it was a very challenging message and I hope that y'all enjoyed it as much as I did. I send out Christmas wishes to everyone that reads this blog!

Friday's Yearning for the Infinite: The Lord’s Supper - Remembrance and the Neglected Element of Hope

Of all my years of faithful church attendance, I have never once heard a pastor incorporate the element of hope into the Lord’s Supper. Yes, we are to remember the body and blood of the Lord Christ in his suffering and death, but do we stop there?

During the so-called "Last Supper," Jesus refrained from drinking wine and said, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom" (Matthew 26:29). Can we really neglect Jesus’ words when we celebrate the Supper? Would Jesus have us to simply remember His death and not look forward to that which his death purchased? Is the designation "Last Supper" a misnomer?

It is my persuasion that the Lord’s Supper should not be only a remembrance of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross, but also a foretaste of the Messianic banquet. Thanks be to God for giving us hope through his death.

Wednesday's Today in History

Louisiana Purchase 1803


The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of more than 529,911,681 acres of territory from France in 1803, at the cost of about 3 cents per acre; $15 million or $80 million francs in total. If adjusted for the relative share of GDP, this amount would equal approximately $390 billion 2003,* or about $1800 per hectare.

The French territory of Louisiana included far more land than just the current U.S. state of Louisiana. The lands purchased contained parts or all of present-day Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota west of the Mississippi River, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, northern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, the portions of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains, the portions of southern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta that drain into the Missouri River, and Louisiana on both sides of the Mississippi River including the city of New Orleans.

The land included in the Purchase comprises 22.3% of the territory of the modern United States.** The purchase was an important moment in the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. At the time, it faced domestic opposition as being possible unconstitutional.

*The relative value in U.S. dollars - Economic History Services
**http://encyclopedia.tfd.com

FINALLY GRADUATED!

Goodbye Dallas, Hello Wisconsin


Today is my final and last day of seminary here in Dallas! I have finally graduated with my masters, and now ready to move on to the next phase in life. I will be moving back to Wisconsin to begin my new job on the 26th of December. It has been a difficult and faith building experience here in Dallas, and I would not have done a thing different. In fact I am sad to be leaving all the friends and families that I have come to love here in Dallas. But as sad as I am to leave, I am just as excited to start this new phase in life! God bless y'all in Dallas and hello to y'all in Wisconsin!

Friday's Yearning for the Infinite

I am going to reformat my Fridays posts to my favorite Devotional message that I read during the week. I would like it if you would leave a comment letting me know what your favorite devotional or scriptural reading for the week was.

"Underneath are the everlasting arms."-Deuteronomy 33:27

God-the eternal God-is Himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble. There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness, he is humbled before God till he scarcely knows how to pray, because he appears, in his own sight, so worthless. Well, child of God, remember that when thou art at thy worst and lowest, yet "underneath" thee "are everlasting arms." Sin may drag thee ever so low, but Christ's great atonement is still under all. You may have descended into the deeps, but you cannot have fallen so low as "the uttermost"; and to the uttermost He saves. Again, the Christian sometimes sinks very deeply in sore trial from without. Every earthly prop is cut away. What then? Still underneath him are "the everlasting arms." He cannot fall so deep in distress and affliction but what the covenant grace of an ever-faithful God will still encircle him. The Christian may be sinking under trouble from within through fierce conflict, but even then he cannot be brought so low as to be beyond the reach of the "everlasting arms"-they are underneath him; and, while thus sustained, all Satan's efforts to harm him avail nothing.

This assurance of support is a comfort to any weary but earnest worker in the service of God. It implies a promise of strength for each day, grace for each need, and power for each duty. And, further, when death comes, the promise shall still hold good. When we stand in the midst of Jordan, we shall be able to say with David, "I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." We shall descend into the grave, but we shall go no lower, for the eternal arms prevent our further fall. All through life, and at its close, we shall be upheld by the "everlasting arms"-arms that neither flag nor lose their strength, for "the everlasting God fainteth not, neither is weary."

- C.H. Spurgeon-

Wednesday's Today in History

The Battle of the River Plate

The Battle of the River Plate (December 13, 1939) was the first major naval battle of World War II. The German pocketbattle ship (heavy cruiser) Admiral Graf Spee which had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September was found and engaged off the estusry of the River Plate in South America, by three smaller Royal Navy cruisers, HMS Exeter, HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles, the last of the New Zealand Division. In the ensuing battle, Exter was severely damaged and forced to retire, while the other ships recieved moderate damage. Ajax and Achilles then shadowed the Graf Psee which entered the neutral Uruguayan capital Montevideo. After a tense period, the captain of the Graf Spee, Hans Langsdorff scuttled the ship rather tham forcing the overwhelming superior British force that he believed had assembled.

Ethan Andrew Lehman

Let us welcome the newest addition to the Lehman family! Born on Friday the 9th of December, 2006 at 1245 pm to Andrew and Elissa Lehman; Ringing in at 10lb - 21in! So put your hands together and give a warm welcome to Ethan Andrew Lehman!

Friday's Yearning for the Infinite

Hold Your Tongue!

“Do not go about spreading slander among your people ... Rebuke you neighbor frankly so that you will not share in his guilt.” Leviticus 19:16, 17

Gossip emits a threefold poison; for it injures the teller, the hearer, and the person concerning whom the gossip is told. Whether the report is true or false, we are by this precept of God's Word forbidden to spread it. The reputations of the Lord's people should be very precious in our sight, and we should count it shame to help the devil to dishonor the Church and the name of the Lord. Some tongues need to be tied rather than a loose. Many glory in pulling down their brethren, as if thereby they raised themselves. Noah's wise sons cast a mantle over their father, and he who exposed him earned a fearful curse. We may ourselves one of these dark days need forbearance and silence from our brethren, let us render it cheerfully to those who require it now. Be this our family rule and our personal bond-DO NOT SPEAK EVIL OF ANY MAN.
The Holy Spirit, however, permits us to censure sin, and prescribes the way in which we are to do it. It must be done by rebuking our brother to his face, not by railing behind his back. This course is manly, brotherly, Christlike, and under God's blessing will be useful. Hundreds have been saved from gross sins by the timely, wise, affectionate warnings of faithful ministers and brethren. Our Lord Jesus has set us a gracious example of how to deal with friends in sin in His warning given to Peter, the prayer with which He preceded it, and the gentle way in which He bore with Peter's boastful denial that he needed such a caution.

Wednesday's Today in History

13th Amendment

This amendment completed the abolition of slavery, which had begun with President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had only applied to slaves being held in areas that were in rebellion against the United States at the time of the Proclamation. Slaves in areas then controlled by the Union were not freed until this amendment took effect (However, some states where slavery was formerly legal had changed their constitutions in the meantime). The Supreme Court has ruled that the Thirteenth Amendment does not prohibit mandatory military service in the United States. Interestingly enough, the 13th Amendment makes the use of the "chain gang" or other methods of involuntary servitude by convicted criminals constitutional in the United States, as long as the methods of enforcing the servitude are not "cruel and unusual" (floggings, beatings, etc.). The Thirteenth Amendment also prohibits specific performance as a judicial remedy for violations of contracts for personal services such as employment contracts. Offenses against the Thirteenth Amendment were being prosecuted as late as 1947.*

*United States v. Rowe, 73 Federal Supplement 76, as cited by Traver (1967) The Jealous Mistress. Boston: Little, Brown.

It is BCS Bowl TIME!!

BCS Bowls

Tostitos Championship Bowl: Ohio State (12-0) vs. Florida (12-1)

Rose Bowl : USC (10-2) vs. Michigan (11-1)

Sugar Bowl : Notre Dame (10-2) vs. LSU (10-2)

Orange Bowl : Louisville (11-1) vs. Wake Forest (11-2)

Fiesta Bowl : Boise State (12-0) vs. Oklahoma (11-2)

Capital One Bowl : Wisconsin (11-1) vs. Arkansas (10-3)

For times and locations, click HERE!

P.S. Sorry to all the Auburn Tiger fans out there, maybe next year, maybe.

Disaster in Dallas

Several times a year, it seems that the people of Dallas Texas and the surrounding areas, become paralyzed in the mind due to bad weather conditions. According to the

local radio stations, by 8:00 A.M. on the morning of November 30th 2006, there had already been reported 3 semi's that had flip over on the highway which also resulted in several additonal accidents piling up and 3 major highway closings. Last year (2005), 93.3 the bone radio station reported that there were 3000 accidents that occured in the metroplex area by 10:00 A.M. The people of Dallas Texas cannot grasp the idea that rain and cold eqaul ice which means that driving 90 MPH is not a great idea especially over bridges! Well this year again proves that you can't fix dumb, because there were several hundred accidents that occured in a very short time when the ice and snow came. You would think that in a 167 years of this cities existence that people would have learned. GUESS NOT!

Friday's Yearning for the Infinite

Give Thanks Always

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, and His wonders to the sons of men!”- Psalm 107:8

If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies-common as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them we are ready to perish. Let us bless God for the eyes with which we behold the sun, for the health and strength to walk abroad, for the bread we eat, for the clothing we wear.
Let us praise Him that we are not cast out among the hopeless, or confined amongst the guilty; let us thank Him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and comforts; let us praise Him, in fact, for everything which we receive from His bounteous hand, for we deserve little, and yet are most greatly blessed.

Friends, the sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love. God's redeeming acts towards His chosen are for ever the favorite themes of their praise. If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our songs of thanksgiving. We have been redeemed from the power of our corruptions, uplifted from the depth of sin in which we were naturally plunged. We have been led to the cross of Christ-our shackles of guilt have been broken off; we are no longer slaves, but children of the living God, and can look forward to the period when we shall be presented before the throne without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name." Let the new month begin with new songs of Praise shouting of the Glory of God.