SUNDAY SENTIMENTS

Put a Helmet On! - Ephesians 6:17a

The helmet that IS Salvation

The Helmet was to protect the Soldier from the Broad Sword

Satan's broad sword has two sides: Discouragement & Doubt

Understanding the 3 tenses of Salvation is the key to putting on the helmet of your Salvation

There was a great spirit among God's people today

The new song "Even So, Come" was well received & well sung

Past tense: Justification: I'm saved from the penalty of Sin

Present tense: Sanctification: I'm being saved from the power of Sin

Future tense: Glorification: I will be saved from the presence of Sin

The Hope of our Salvation points to our future final salvation

I am sealed by the Spirit, the Son has me in His hand & He is in the Father's hand...who is greater than all - John 10

God is good & his plans for me are to give me a hope & a future (that will bring Him ultimate glory)

Good visuals today - I always like a good object lesson

The food at the fellowship meal was sooooooo good. Loved Norma's black eye peas

Great meeting with the men after Q&A

Next Week: Worship in our new Digs!!!! See you there!

Deer Deer Everywhere

Well, I took Anna & Becky (my niece) hunting the other night. A young buck walked out but it wasn't big enough to shoot in our hunting club. It meandered into the pines & about 10 minutes later, it came out right under the box stand. What a joy to watch that deer feed literally right under us. Then just at the end of shooting light, a doe walked out. My scope had fogged up as I shot...and I clean missed it.
Then I took my nephew Garrett a few days later for a very early morning hunt. A nice shooter buck walked out & we both shot at the same time...& we both missed. I need to go sight my scope in as I believe it may be a little low. We looked for blood & hair - but there was nothing. We got back in the stand & about 45 minutes later, it was time to leave. I was listening to my voice mail when I looked up & in the fog I saw a deer walk out into the logging road. I literally dropped my phone. I told Garrett to shoot. His safety was on so the hammer dropped & stopped short. The deer heard the click & was ready to bolt. I squeezed the trigger & she dropped down and faltered in the front. I knew I hit her. Garrett was so excited. We got down & when we got to the spot...NO BLOOD! I couldn't believe it! I got on my hands & knees & found some white hairs. Then I found a little piece of meat about the size of a pencil eraser with one white hair in it. I told Garrett that I hit that deer low & way to the front. I couldn't figure out why there was no blood though. We went into the pines and I figured the deer would circle down & away from the stand toward the creek. We searched in concentric erratic circles for about 20 minutes to no avail.
When we got back to the logging road, my son Jr. was walking our way. He is an excellent woodsman. He disagreed with my 'logic' & said the deer was just as likely to circle back towards the stand. He also looked at the evidence on the logging road and said with confidence that the deer was down in these pines. This time I went to the far right. The game trails in there are really something. I was trying to make circles but ended up following a well worn trail. I took me about 80 yards back in the direction of the stand and then took a sharp left...towards the creek. That made sense to me. I walked just a few yards on the down slope of the trail & there lying in the brambles was a nice big healthy doe. I hit her in the brisket & she eventually folded up. I was so thankful that we found her.
What a great experience for Garrett. I've never seen him so excited or energized. The shot was such that we didn't ruin any of the meat. Amazing! God is so good.

Thanksgiving Surprise

The look on Mom's face is priceless

More Hunting News

I actually think I'm slowing down on the hunting front. Paul Jr. harvested a big doe on Friday morning. She was betweed 8 & 9 years old based on her teeth. I took a button buck on a quota hunt at Rum Creek WMA. I shot him at a dead run at 250 yards. I'm making corned roasts of of him.
The creath fellas gave me a couple of Virginia deer & my son Zack spent the better part of a day processing the meat. We'll process the two deer from last week on Monday. My niece Becky wants to go hunting so I may take her this week. With my luck we'll get another deer.
I was skinning & gutting my buck at the rum creek check station. Another hunter came up with his buck & we got to talking. Turns out he was a deer processor. Merry Christmas to me! He & his buddy schooled me in the fastest & neatest way to process a deer. What a God send. They were also Christ followers & we had some great fellowship talking about God's Word.
I got to hunt my good friend's land on Saturday morning. I must confess that I was dreaming more about the waffles his wife was making at the house than the deer around us. We had a great time of fellowship that morning. I'll be making my ever evolving venison pin wheels for Thanksgiving again this year. Hopefully I'll have this year's recipe & pics on thanksgiving night to post.
Thanks Chuck for reminding me how lax I've been in my postings.

Ellie's First Deer

My three eldest children were off at a youth retreat this weekend & we had the three youngest at home. Elizabeth mentioned that it would be a good time to take Ellie hunting & spend some time with her. I had just convinced myself of not going hunting on Saturday when my wife mentioned that to me.
Ellie & I got a late start & stopped in the shooting range at the Beaverdam WMA at 3:30 pm. I had to sight in the new 243 youth model rifle that I picked up for a steal last month. It only took 3 shots to zero it in at 40 yards. I gave Ellie some instructions & then she loaded the rifle, aimed, & fired. About an inch to the left of the bull's eye. Next shot, an inch high. Third shot, an inch to the left...good enough.
We drove around & found what looked like a food plot on an aerial map I found of the place on the Internet. Sure enough, just a few hundred yards down a closed logging road was a beautiful food plot just full of deer tracks & sign. It was Walmart for deer. We set up our ground blind with some tangled bushes for a backdrop. Several hours of hushed conversation & reading went by. About 6:15 pm I saw a brown spot at the end of the field. My eyesight is failing (for real) so I asked Ellie to look. "Its a deer daddy!" she whispered with great excitement. She wasn't in the right spot for a shot so she slowly stood up & I moved her stool to give her a shot at the deer. It took her about 5 minutes to find the deer in the scope. By this time the deer had moved to about 75 yards & politely turned broadside for a clean shot. "I see it now" she whispered with an amazing calm. I told her to just squeeze the trigger - "Crack!" - before I finished my instruction.
The deer seemed to drop it's rear end by a couple of inches but it didn't move. I pulled up to take a shot. Just as I squeezed off my shot the deer disappeared from my scope & my shot went off into the woods. "Where did it go?" I asked Ellie. I thought it ran away. "I think it fell over" was her reply. Well, we went to see. Sure enough, there was the young buck (6 points) lying in the tall grass. Ellie is reserved & not really all that excitable but she was shaking with the thrill of all that just took place. We folded up the blind, chairs & hunting bag & together drug the deer to the truck. She assisted in cleaning the deer & our good friends, the Metcalfes, agreed to help skining & quarter the deer at 10 pm on a Saturday. My big boys were at camp & not available.
It was a picture perfect moment that I look forward to having with all my children. I was with Paul Jr. & Zack when they took their first deer. Now Anna is on fire to get her first deer. I hope that happens soon for her so we can all get some rest around here.
(I'll post pics as soon as I get them from Don)

Macy's Baptism

A Happy Momma
A Delighted Dad

In obedience to the command of our Lord & Savior...

Baptism...the frosting on the cake of ministry

Standing up & Stepping out for Jesus

Buried in the Likeness of His Death

I believe the Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God

Greatful Dad & Grace filled Daughter

A Faithful Mother

Its not ALL pretty!

Macy is a sweet young lady with a beautiful testimony. She has grown up in a wonderful Christian home & her parent's have kept her before the cross. Macy recently turned 16 & God had begun to awaken her to her need for Christ through some illness. Sweetly & graciously, God made Macy His own & she was able to trust Christ & His finished work on the cross of Calvary to rescue & remake her into a daughter of God.

What a joy to be able to do life with such families. I just realized that Hayward & I have baptized all three of his children together over the past several years.
We are real family - for eternity. The DNA of the risen Christ unites us to our Father in Heaven.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Doe with a Bow

The fruit of my labor & God's provision

Bella meets Bambi

Patience - an elusive virtue that is only needed when not wanted by him in greatest need of it. I shot a nice doe in the same location last year. I gave it an hour & started tracking it. I jumped it, it ran, tracked it over a mile, never recovered it.
Last evening I got to the stand way too late - 6pm. I decided to set up as quietly as possible & sit until dark. I jumped 3 does on the way in - a good & bad sign. About 7 pm I looked to my left & much to my surprise, there was a nice doe not 15 yards from me. I put the pin just behind the shoulder & released. She was quartering away from me so everything was perfect. I listened to her run & heard her crash. Unlike last year, I eased out of the woods, went home to get supper, gear, & help. I gave the deer nearly 3 hours to expire. I figured it would be easy to find her knowing that she was within 30 to 40 yards of the stand. Not so. She made circles all over that swamp. The blood trail all but dried up. I left my girls standing at last blood & started 'making circles'. You walk in 10 yard over lapping circles. It was so thick that 'circles' were impossible. As I made my way back to the girls, I followed a small overgrown creek. On my hands & knees in the mud I came to a tight bend in the creek not 12 feet from the girls & there was the deer, laying partially submerged in the creek. Getting her out of there was a chore as was the next 2 hours or so of getting it quartered & in the cooler.
I was able to take my girls & nephew with me plus my friend Randy & his boys (it was on his land). My son, Paul Jr. came over & was a huge help in processing the deer. I love that he never shys away from hard work. It was a memorable & tiring night. I went to bed at 2 a.m. tired but grateful.

Wake Up Call

Great Start - Poor Finish. I taught 2 classes today at the first CWW Co-Op. Both were Bible classes (for some reason they didn't want me teaching math...go figure). My first class was with the little children ages 3 to 6 or 7.
First of all, they are so easy to please. We sang & did the motions & they just ate it up. Then I began the lesson on David. I asked several questions that I wasn't sure this little kiddos would know. One was, "Who wrote most of the Psalms". Little Elizabeth knew that one. I asked what instrument David played & my son Sam knew that. They knew the name of Goliath's country - Philistia! Color me impressed.
Next class: 11 older children from 9 - 16. That class is Bible 101. The basic structure, layout, history, & basic geography of the Word of God. It was an exercise in contrast to the younger children. Nobody knew what the word "Testament" meant. To my shame, my daughters were in this class! No one knew what the oldest book of the O.T. was (the earliest written - do you know?) No one knew who authored the majority of the N.T. (do you know that one?) I know my girls have heard me teach this stuff before. When I asked the questions...Crickets.
This class represents CWW's brightest & best. I really challenged them to get engaged & get to know their Bibles. Next week's class opens with a fill in of the break down of the Old & New Testaments - the 3 kinds of books in each & then writing out in order the books of the Bible spelled correctly. My wife said that might have been a little much. I disagree...it's not enough.
Somehow I've broken my arm patting myself on the back because my pre schooler knows that David played a harp while allowing my Junior High age girls to be ignorant of what a 'Testament' is.
Today was a wake up call for me as a Parent & a Pastor.

Ben's Turn

I guess Ben decided it was his turn for a late night run to the doctor. He really should have been in bed but we were all enjoying his antics so we let him stay up. About 9:15 pm, I heard a scream in the big boy's room. Then I heard Zack say, "Ben's cut pretty bad". He comes out carrying Ben & blood is dripping all over the floor.
I'm hoping for a superficial cut but to no avail. The a/c vent cover in the big guy's room cracked when they rolled an office chair over it so they took it off. Well Ben fell in it with one leg & apparently it had some sharp edges. His heel has a long curved cut that bled the most but wasn't very deep. The small inch long cut on the back of his calf was the one that would need stitches.
After waiting nearly 2 hours, the Doc came in & said the calf cut would need stitches. I asked if he could use the dermabond glue instead & after looking at it again, he agreed.
They had to put him in a papoose to keep him still. He did NOT like that. I've never heard him scream that loud or long. His little face was cherry red & he was soaked in sweat. Then came the tetanus shot.
Suffice it to say, he got out of there a lot better off than his brother's trip. The Doc felt bad & gave him a 'sucker' which he enjoyed all the way home.
Then end (I hope)

The Death of the Wicked

Romans 1:32

And although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

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Proverbs 2:22

But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and they that deal treacherously shall be rooted out of it.

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Proverbs 5:22

His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

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Proverbs 10:7

The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.

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Proverbs 11:7

When a wicked man dieth [his] expectation shall perish: and the hope of iniquity perisheth.

Beach Baptism 09

Two weeks ago, we had a beautiful Sunday morning Baptism on the beach. The forcast was for bad thunder storms and rain. We asked God to hold off the rain & angry clouds on the horizon while recognizing God's authority to do what He willed.

Wow! Did God ever exceed our puny expectations.

The rain held off for the service, the celebration picnic, & about an hour of play time after lunch.

God is so Good!

O Ye of Little Faith

I was aware ahead of time that we'd have at least 5 of our regular families out of town this past Sunday. I like to know ahead of time so I can be depressed in advance.
I even joked with the loyal Church early birds that they could have their choice of seats today as we'd be lucky to half fill the place.
I was in my office right up until start time. When I made it to the back of the church, I was shocked that the place was full...really full! I figured that the balcony was empty (ever the pessimist). In CWW fashion, four or five families arrived during the singing & headed to the balcony.
When I got up to preach, the place was packed to the gills! Beth later told me that we had right at 100 there (the place only holds 90 comfortably). Go figure, a preacher of little faith. I could hear Jesus saying, "Wherein did ye doubt, O ye of little faith?"
I respond, "I believe Lord, help thou mine unbelief"

Sunday Sentiments

• We've actually FINISHED Ephesians 5!
• Chapter 6 here we come...
• Could we really finish Ephesians in 2009?
• Great Q&A with the men Sunday
• We have some really salty guys & I pray that our young men are catching it
• I've heard nothing but good things from the ladies teaching time
• I'm thankful for a gracious wife who is willing to step way out of her comfort zone to cooperate with her husband & please our Lord
• I never realized how many men we have until we all filled up the fellowship hall
• Ladies talk: Submission, Respect, & Contentment
• Men's talk: Responsibilities: Follow Christ, Lead & Love your wife & family
• "We will one day stand before God & present our wives back to him. Our duty is to give back to Him a wife who looks more like Christ than when we got her from Him"
• "When a man abdicates his responsibilities, he forces his wife to learn to live with out him"
• "When a man abuses his responsibilities, he forces his wife to run or retaliate"
• I'm so glad to have brothers that I can look to for an example to me & not the other way around
• I have great hope for our young married men who are walking wisely before God
• Next Week: Ephesians 6!
  

Junior Camp

Run John, Run the Law demands

But gives us neither feet nor hands

Far better news the Gospel brings

It bids us fly & gives us wings

-John Bunyon-

We spent a busy & fun week with 120 folks at Junior camp last week. I taught on "Law & Grace". Really I taught 90% on the Commandments & 10% on Grace which is a good rule of thumb when you think about it. Below is the hand motions to commandment #2 - no graven images. I taught these hand motions 2 years ago & some of the children still remembered them. Amazing! One of the 'Great Finds' before camp was a DVD by a group called the Go Fish Guys. I was searching for a great 10 commandments song. I found some real hinky songs but one called "The Ten Commandment Boogie" was a hit with my son Sam. Below is a pic of my girls & Emily doing the motions to it. I encourage you to check their music out at http://www.gofishguys.com/

Here's Sam doing the motions as well - This is to the line..."...the 10 commandment boogie, gonna dance it till I die..."

The material was from John Piper's church & it was excellent. http://www.childrendesiringgod.org/ I had to combine the commandment teachings as each commandment was a stand alone lesson. Due to only having 10 chapel services, I had to combine 2 commandments per lesson. As a result, I couldn't go near as deep as the material did. I had to carve a lot of good stuff out.

The lesson on commandment #7 had me in knots. How do you teach 3rd - 5th grade kids about adultery & why its a bad idea. How do you even define it? God was gracious. Camp Definition: Adultery is treating another person who isn't your husband/wife like they were your husband/wife.

Would you believe it was that lesson that broke the hearts of many of the kids?! They are living with the fruit of unfaithfulness & I never really gave that a thought. I took an egg & dropped it on the floor to illustrate how being unfaithful destroys a family. When I looked back up from that, many children & even some of the teen counsellors were wiping away tears.

Several children came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit & confessed Christ as Savior. My little cousin Becky being one of them.

Some of the most dear & lovely Christians I know are Camp Eunice regulars. I praise God for the opportunity to invest a week in the lives of those young people.

'New' Car for Beth

First I want to thank God for his incredible provision for our needs as a family. I thank God for my sister-in-law Rebecca for sending me a book by a guy named Dave Ramsey. The pain of bringing my finances under control has yeilded the fruit of being debt free with the exception of the house (see my post in 8 years). I also learned to save for future needs & to pay CASH.

Well, we paid our van off a year ago & I just kept paying myself the same payment. Fast forward to today.

I was wanting a late model 3 seat wagon that had low miles (under 75 k) that would get 20 or abobe mpg around town. Enter "Auto Trader.Com". I found a 96 Oldsmobile Ciera SL, 3 seater, one owner, clean car fax, 58,000 original miles & has been garaged the whole time. It runs like a charm & doesn't shake at 85. The interior is amazing. I don't think the second & third rows have ever been sat in.

The best part is that CASH in hand got me a GREAT deal & NO PAYMENTS (except the ones I continue to make to myself)

Thank you God my Father for your amazing provision.

Enjoy it Beth...I love you...

Sunday Sentiments Ephesians 5:21-24

• It was HOT today & the A/C is not keeping up...or maybe it was that hot preaching (I was soaked after the sermon)



• If we ever really came to understand this teaching in its proper context, the women would REJOICE & the men would be terrified!!!



• Context is…KING – Context: Direct context of this letter is Christ & His Church.



• Great Worship Songs today!



• The key to harmony in the home is two Spirit filled believers



• God's Glory is always our gain - Satan tells us this is not true



• Q&A was such a blessing to hear our women share their experiences in submitting to God by coming under the headship of their husbands



• Great to have Aunt Faith & Uncle Duane & Booke Bauer in Church today!



• Zack's offertory was a huge blessing



• Miss Winnie is more proud of Zack than Beth & I are! Amazing!



• Welcome James Allen Duncan to the CWW Family! Good looking baby



• Praying for Levi Dittmann to grace the world with his presence this week



• So proud of the CWW Men & their willingness to jump in & help eachother.



• Jim William's 'retirement picture' slays me. That man is my hero!



• Dave & Andy are the best church cleaners ever! I can always 'smell' when they've been there - the smell of CLEAN



• Submission Does Not Mean:
  1. A husband is in ultimate authority.
  2. A wife does not have independent thoughts.
  3. A wife does not seek to influence her husband.
  4. A wife must obey her husband’s command to sin.
  5. A wife is less intelligent or competent than her husband.
  Submission Does Mean:
  1. A husband and wife are equal with complementary roles.
  2. Wives are to submit like Jesus did in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42).
  3. Husbands are to lovingly lead like Jesus does the Church (Eph. 5:25).
  4. A single woman should only marry a man she can follow.
  5. Christian marriage shows the Trinity and the gospel.



• So thankful for my precious wife.

Great Father's Day Gift

I told Zack that all I wanted for Father's Day was a clean basement & my shop area set up. Well, he exceeded my expectations to say the least. Zack wisely enlisted the help of my brother David. The two of them spent several days down in the basement last week. "Uncle Clean" is a great asset to messy basements everywhere.

My favorite part was seeing all my tools neatly arranged on the peg board. I even discovered a fantastic set of Craftsman screwdrivers on the board. That was a Father's day gift from my other boys & dear wife.

Thank You to Zack & David for all your hard work. I can't wait to get down there & start my next project which I can't tell right now because it is a surprise.

Thanks to my children for a great Father's Day

The Famous Dziadul Tongue

My Dad has always stuck his tongue out & to the side of his mouth when doing something strenuous or that required great concentration. I too, have been graced with this odd habit. I believe it is in the DNA of the Dziadul male. Well, it appears that Benjamin is also the recipient of this gift as evidenced by the above pics. Zack was 'playing dodge ball' with the little boys & this was Ben's game face. The Dziadul Tongue reigns supreme!

21 years

The years now number twenty one

That we've been joined, two in one

Some times were sad & others fun

But none too bad when two are one

Three states, two daughters, four strong sons

six dogs, six houses, much work done

Regrets...a few, second thoughts-none

Life worth living when two are one

Sins forgiven through the blood of the Son

A heaven to gain - a hell to shun

Not a 'DO' religion but a finished work "DONE"

All Praise to God the great three in one

Twenty one years a great life begun

Christ in you & me made one

Without Him wed've lost in Him we've won

So glad God made from the two of us...one

-I Love you Beth-

First Fruit & Georgia Peaches

A BERRY Happy Benjamin Georgia Peaches - gotta love em

1st fruits of our garden

The Wax Beans were delicious!

Gave the Squash to Dad & Mom