The Big Red Tractor

The Big Red Tractor from Jacob Lewis on Vimeo.

Appropriate Smallness

We (me, Barie, and the three boys - we left Brynlee with grandmothers) just returned from a great family getaway last weekend in Colorado. We had booked some cheap Southwest tickets when they were available last fall and spent three nights up in Estes Park - right next to the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park. Our intent was to spend some intentional time with our sons and let them have some firsts that they have been talking about for a long time - riding on a airplane, playing in the snow, seeing the mountains, etc.

What I didn't expect was how refreshing the time would be for me spiritually. I told the kids during our time in Colorado that if they listened (according to Psalm 19 and Romans 1), they could hear creation crying out, "God is awesome!" It was so cute to listen to them stop us on the trails in the national park and say, "I can hear it." In reality, I needed to hear the words of Psalm 121 that says, "I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my hope come from? My help comes from the Lord." In looking at the enormous size of the mountains and their beauty and grandeur, I was reminded of the size and beauty and grandeur of our God. We serve the God who made everything that I was seeing from nothing. My Father is the God of all creation - easy to forget, isn't it?

I think in the daily grind of life and ministry that it is easy to forget the awesomeness and hugeness of God. I know that I am tempted to think too highly of myself and too lowly of God. But the mountains reminded me of my place. I am one person on a planet with over six billion people. My life is brief - the Bible compares it to a vapor that is here today and gone tomorrow (James 4:14) - and so small when compared the greatness and glory of God. Why am I so tempted to forget this and be so full of pride? The truth is that the mountains I saw were a small part of the creation we see on earth - mountains and oceans and clouds and fields. And the earth is one small part of a giant universe that include billions of stars and planets. And God is bigger than this - the Maker of all.

I am not depressed by this truth - in fact, it reminds me how remarkable the love of God is as seen in the gospel of Jesus Christ. But I am humbled by this truth. I see myself again with appropriate smallness. God is God and I am not.

HCBC in Haiti

I thought you might want to be updated on what the association of Hill Country Churches is doing to help the victims in Haiti. A team from HCBC went with a group of doctors and nurses on two chartered planes full of donated medical supplies to help the victims of the earthquake. The team is updating their progress on the website http://haitihcbc.blogspot.com/.

These efforts have also been the focus on local media reports. You can read these reports by going to the Haiti relief site with HCBC and scrolling to the bottom: www.hcbc.com/haiti. The story has been covered by local news affiliates and the Austin paper. I am thankful to be a part of a team of people so committed to helping those in need.

Haiti

If you've been following the story in Haiti, you might be wondering how to help. I personally like to give through Samaritan's Purse, who is heavily invested there. Their website is http://www.samaritanspurse.org/. I have also been following the blog of a missionary family that lives in the capital - their site is http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/. Gripping to read their accounts of what is going on. Does anyone personally know anyone on the ground there?

Holiday Entertainment

I enjoyed the holiday break and hope you did as well. I want to quickly review one book that I read and one movie that I saw over the holidays. One, I enjoyed - the other, not so much.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The book first. McCarthy won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2007 for this post-apocalyptic tale of a father and son trying to find their way together in a world ravished by some kind of terrible worldwide devastation. I'm always nervous when I read Pulitzer-recognized fiction because sometimes I feel like it can be so wordy that the stories are hard to follow. But McCarthy is the opposite - the book is short, the writing is abrupt, yet powerfully beautiful. I really connected with his description of the father-son relationship. I also resonated with his insight into the human soul as he imagines what life might be like after some kind of disaster that wipes out most of what we value. What do humans do when all that their lives are built around disappear? Some of his scenes are gruesome, but they connected with me as plausible because of my view on the depths of human depravity. Wow - even now as I write, I am reminded of the powerful emotions that this book ignited in my heart - a great little read. They turned the book into a movie that was released in November - I haven't seen it or heard much about it.

Avatar by James Cameron
The movie Avatar is at once visually appealing and at the same time intellectually insulting. Insulting not in the sense that I wish the story had been better (which I did), but insulting that the $350 million movie is a cover for political propaganda and theological instruction. Cameron knows how to use to technology, no doubt, and I was actually glad that I saw the movie just to witness the 3D movies of the future. However, Cameron's main point, it seems, is to present us with his conclusions on America's involvement in Vietnam and Iraq. He's not trying to really hide these lessons - the references are repeated and clear. But the theological instruction is more subversive - a high-tech apologetic for pantheism. I'll refer you to Ross Douthat's article because I can't say it any better - Cameron's religion of choice is clear.

The Nativity Story

As parents, we are always trying to think of ways to make the Christmas story more real to our kids than the presents they open on Christmas morning. We read them the Christmas story from their kids-Bibles, but the cartoon images make the story seem somewhat unreal. Barie and I share why we are thankful for the coming of Jesus, but that seems somewhat subjective. We also have acted out the Christmas story with all the kids this year - which they really enjoyed. But the acting-out of the story involves more laughter than anything else - we are a goofy group. So, I was really excited to show our kids The Nativity Story movie last night, if for no other reason just to make the story come to life with real people with real emotions with real families. I had never seen the movie, so I was pleasantly surprised by how it well it grabbed the attention of our kids. They asked all kinds of questions throughout the movie - "who is that?" - "why did she do that?" and more. I was really excited by how well the movie brought us into the lives of these characters and made the story so much more real for my whole family. I highly recommend that you take the time to see it!

Noonan on Culture

I always enjoy reading Peggy Noonan's article on Saturday in the WSJ. She has some good insights into politics and the American culture. I sometimes disagree with what she writes, but always makes me think. I especially connected with her article this weekend about parents feeling exhausted by the energy it takes to guard their kids from the culture at large. I would take her argument one step further, believing that we don't need to just protect our kids from cultural influences before they are ready, but that we need to teach our kids how to think about the cultural influences they experience. It is more about training our kids to engage culture with a biblical worldview than escaping our culture, but it does make this parent of young children feel tired when I have to constantly be on guard for what might show up even in a commercial on TV. Here's Peggy's main thought about why most Americans feel shaky about our country (even more than economic reasons, she would say). She uses Adam Lambert's performance on ABC as a launching pad:

People were offended, and they complained. Mr. Lambert seemed surprised and puzzled. With an idiot's logic that was nonetheless logic, he suggested he was the focus of bigotry: They let women act perverse on TV all the time, so why can't a gay man do it? Fifteen hundred callers didn't see it as he did and complained to ABC, which was negligent but in the end responsive: They changed the West Coast feed and apparently kept Mr. Lambert off "Good Morning America."

Mr. Lambert's act left viewers feeling not just offended but assaulted. Again, "we don't care what you do in New York," but don't include us in it, don't bring it into our homes. Our children are here.

I don't mean to make too much of it. In the great scheme of things a creepy musical act doesn't matter much. But increasingly people feel at the mercy of the Adam Lamberts, who of course view themselves, when criticized, as victims of prudery and closed-mindedness. America is not prudish or closed-minded, it is exhausted. It cannot be exaggerated, how much Americans feel besieged by the culture of their own country, and to what lengths they have to go to protect their children from it.

It's things like this, every bit as much as taxes and spending, that leave people feeling jarred and dismayed, and worried about the future of their country.

Agree or disagree?

Proud Husband Alert

What an awesome weekend!

In the last few days, our church family has participated in Jingle Jam out at Round Rock Family Christmas Night on Friday, prayed for 24 hours on Saturday, and hosted the Women's Christmas Social on Sunday. All three went extremely well.

The staff and the LIVE team did a great job representing our church and Christ to our city. Many families in our city were exposed to the message of the gospel through Jingle Jam. Hat's off to the team who set up the show and braved the tough weather to pull off a great evening.

I also have to say how proud I was of my wife for the message she gave at the Women's Christmas Social. She worked hard for two weeks to prepare a message that would share the heart of God with the 230 women who came this year. I might be biased, but I thought she did a phenomenal job in sharing the story of Christ in a winsome and authentic way. I know that many great spiritual conversations were started because of that event.

Thanks to everyone in our church who participated in these events this weekend, especially those of you who prayed. I believe God is moving in such powerful ways because we continue to seek His face on a regular basis. Ultimately, I am thankful to God for His grace and His presence in all that we do. Thank you, Father, for such an awesome weekend and such an awesome wife...

A Good Tired

Everyone is moving slowly at the office this morning after last night's volunteer-appreciation dinner, but we are a good tired. We have such a great church-family, and last night was a fun time to celebrate all that God has done through our ministry-volunteers this year. I hope everyone knows how much we appreciate them and what a huge impact they are making. Here's the video we finished with last night as we start to spread the word for Christmas Together 2009 - our Christmas-Eve services at Hill Country Bible Round Rock. Have a great Monday...

Staff Carol of the Bells from Hill Country Bible on Vimeo.

Finished the Race!

What an awesome weekend!

Barie and I did our fourth annual Getting Away to Get It Together weekend. We had a great time this year. We ran the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon on Sunday morning in 2 hours, 25 minutes, and 58 seconds. We then spent the rest of Sunday recovering from running a half-marathon. You can watch the video of us crossing the line on the Rock 'n' Roll website - just enter in Bib Number 16446.

After the race, Barie and I spent the next two days regrouping on the home front - evaluating our relationships with God, each other, and our kids. We spent time discussing our calendar, our budget, and our priorities as a family. It was a tremendously refreshing and helpful time.

Thanks for everyone's encouragement and prayers. Now go run!