Family

Today is Thanksgiving. As I sit around the dinner table surrounded by my family I'm overwhelmed by the Lord's goodness. Seldom do I take the time to reflect on His blessings in my life. When I do, I find that I truly have much to be thankful for. My sister, brother-in-law, and their two young children have recently moved home after a three year stay in Sweden. My brother and his wife also made the trip down from Orange County to spend the day with us. I look over at my Dad and Mom and I think back to the times when I was young and we didn't always see eye to eye,(mostly because of my own selfishness and immaturity) and I am thankful that they never gave up on me.
In a time when high value is placed on material possessions, I am filled with joy when I reflect on my family.

His Love Is Strong!

I have found myself to be greatly encouraged by Jon Foreman's music. For those of you who don't know, Jon is the singer and songwriter for the San Diego band Switchfoot. Over the last year he released four EPs (one for each season) of his solo work and songs that he felt weren't Switchfoot material. The result is a collection of mostly acoustic driven songs that have a very personal feel. For many of the songs, Jon took passages right out of scripture and wrote music around them. One of my personal favorites is "Your Love Is Strong". For me, it is reminder that the Lord is in control. He knows what we need and is faithful to provide for us. Even when we go through difficult times, we can take comfort in knowing that His love is strong!

Joshua Wilderness Institute at The Well

Last night we had a huge group at The Well. Typically we have anywhere from 90 to 100 students, but last night we had an additional 40 or so. We had a group from Hume Lake come down and join us. It was really cool to have everyone packed into our little room. The students were from a program called the Joshua Wilderness Institute. It's a 9 month program where the students leave home and stay up at Hume. The program requires the students to make some pretty serious commitments regarding music, movies, and dating, among other things. It is described as "a 9 month fast from the world". It was also nice to see my friend Dominique who, as some of you already know, has committed to the program. Please keep the "Joshua" students in your prayers. I can't imagine the personal discipline required to stay committed!

Also, there is a link to Dominique's blog under "My Friends" section. She periodically posts updates and prayer requests.

If you want to learn more about Joshua Wilderness: http://joshuawilderness.org/

New Men's Small Group

Yesterday was the first day of my new men's small group. Over the next couple of months we will be going through the book "Disciplines of a Godly Man" by R. Kent Hughes. The book is a call for Christian men to step up and lead disciplined lives and is focused around this verse in 1 Timothy:

"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

I am excited to see how the Lord will use our time together to develop godly disciplines that will help us be better husbands, fathers, and men of God. Please pray that our study would bear fruit. Not just for my guys, but for me as well.

Door of Faith Orphanage

Recently a team from The Well had the opportunity to go down to Mexico and serve at Door of Faith Orphanage. In the past I have had some experience working at orphanages in Mexico, but DOFO exceeded all of my expectations. It was obvious from the minute we arrived that DJ (the orphanage administrator) and his wife do a fantastic job of making sure everything runs smoothly. DOFO currently has 120 kids, ranging in age from infant to college. DJ strives to make everyday life as much like an average family as possible. Every meal is enjoyed as a family, each child's birthday is celebrated individually, and each college education (when the time comes) is paid for.

The kids were incredible. Even though they were well taken care of, it was obvious that they really enjoyed and even craved our attention. After DJ finished giving us a tour, our group was walking back to a seating area to discuss or plan for the day. As I walked past a little boy, no older than five, I reached out and touched his head. He immediately grabbed my hand and began leading me around the playground, all while giving me commands to push him on the swing or kick the soccer ball with him. I didn't understand a word he was saying but it didn't seem to matter. He was just happy to have someone to play with. I couldn't help but think that this must be what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 19:14:

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

DOFO's website: http://www.dofo.org/