Renew Your Mind

I read an interesting - and challenging - article in this month's issue of Charisma entitled "Go Against the Flow" by Rich Rogers. The article addresses the challenge of "staying faithful to God when the people around you are compromising." A study was conducted on 10,000 individuals from around the nation and found "that most people who claim to be a Christian don't have the mind of God on important issues." According to the results, 84% claimed to be Christian and some of the "same people also deemed the following behaviors and lifestyles 'morally acceptable':"

• Abortion - 45%
• Adultery - 42%
• Cohabitation - 60%
• Gambling - 61%
• Pornography - 38%
• Sexual relations between homosexuals - 30%
• Use of profanity - 36%

Rogers notes, "The Bible tells us that man will never think the thoughts of God unless he experiences the transformation of the mind" and references Isaiah 55:8-9.

"So, how does one begin the transformation process? Simply put, you must learn what God has to say about everything. How? Become familiar with His Word and allow it to change the way you think."

Memories from Christmas 2008

Maddie was three months old her first Christmas and wasn't much for making memorable moments. This year, however, was different. Our favorite memories (in no particular order) are:

• The figures in the Nativity can be arranged and rearranged endlessly. They can even stand on the roof of the stable.
• The Christmas trees MUST be turned on when Maddie wakes up and turned off when Maddie goes to bed - including midnight rendezvous for "mulk" (i.e. milk).
• Apparently Katherine Davis forgot a "bum, bum" after the Little Drummer Boy's "pa, rum, pa, pum, pum". Maddie even added the "bum, bum" while walking by one of those music-sample-kiosks playing the song at Target.
• The "ba" (i.e. pacifier) is taken out and "ho, ho, ho" is said any time anything remotely symbolic of Santa catches Maddie's attention.

Some of Maddie's favorite Christmas presents...

Good News of Great Joy for All People!

My favorite part of the Christmas story is whent the angel says, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-12). The birth of Jesus is GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY for ALL PEOPLE. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

For a different take on the Christmas story, check this out.

Merry Christmas and may God bless you in the New Year!

Thanks Dave!

According to The Auto Channel, "The United States is still very much in love with the automobile, with a national average of 2.28 vehicles per household." Thanks to Dave Ramsey, the Mauntel family is now a ONE vehicle family.

Christmas: Mauntel Style

Emily and I are Practical - with a capital "P" - and whenever someone asks "What are you getting Emily for Christmas?" and my response is "A toothbrush and a pair of socks!" they look at me like I have a third eye. Well, it turns out we aren't the only ones who celebrate this way.

The funny thing is Bethany's friend Tripp Crosby (DontBeThatGuy) created this!

Santa Claus is coming to town...

I grew up believing in Santa Claus. I was devastated when I found out he wasn't real. In fact, I recall standing at the top of the steps and yelling to my mom, "I guess that means the Easter Bunny isn't real either!" Emily, on the other hand, didn't believe and neither one of us have suffered any ill-effects.

So, what are we going to do with Maddie? Tell her the truth. But, we'll still have fun with him - just like we would with Mickey Mouse at Disney World.

Dada!

I was listening to Mark Driscoll's Pray like Jesus: the Lord's Prayer on my way to work yesterday. I'm sure you're familiar with the prayer - "Our Father in heaven..." Mark pointed out that "Jesus addressed God simply as 'Father', and taught his followers to do the same." He went on to say that "understanding that God is Dad is primary to prayer" and "if we understand God is Dad, then we will naturally speak to him anytime about anything because we know we are loved, cared for and safe with him."

When I got home, I took Maddie upstairs with me as I normally do. As soon as we walked into the bedroom, she pointed to a picture of Emily and me as if she DESPERATELY needed it. I grabbed the picture and brought it closer. She pointed to me and said "dada". It was the first time I've heard her say it without being prompted to do so!

Whether or not this was a coincidence, I was reminded that my relationship with Maddie has been ordained by God and it's my responsibility as a father - and a husband - to reflect the image of God.

To add a little humor, I asked Maddie to give me a kiss (in the picture) and she did. I then asked her to give me a kiss (in real life) and she ferociously shook her head NO!

Help make a difference in Africa!

My friend David recently joined Mocha Club's I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me campaign. As enamored as I am with Africa - and as much as I love Chris Tomlin's "Love" featuring the Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda - I thought I'd check it out.

The idea behind Mocha club is: for the cost of two mochas a month ($7), you can "provide a solution to the challenges Africans are facing" (i.e. HIV/AIDS, orphan care, education, etc.).

So, I've started a Mocha Club team. The team name is Upendo, which is Swahili for "love" in the Bible. And since the Watoto Children are AIDS orphans - and considering every 14 seconds a child is orphaned by AIDS (Compassion International) - I've decided to support orphan care.

$7 a month is $1.75 a week. $1.75 a week is $0.25 a day. Your $7 a month will support children like Prince, who recently lost his battle with AIDS.

I don't drink mocha, but there are plenty of things I can sacrifice to make a difference. And, every time I miss what I'm sacrificing, I'll remember why I'm sacrificing it. What can you give up to save $7 a month to "provide a solution to the challenges Africans are facing?" Join my team and help make a difference!

Mail from Africa!

We've received our first letter from Magazi! For those of you who missed the post, Emily and I decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International. Also included was a drawing (of a cup, orange and flower) and a picture (he's on the right).

Magazi lives with his "mum" and dad, and has a on-year-old sibling named Abdalah. He was thankful for our sponsorship and, among other things, said our sponsorship will allow him to "get treatments once he gets sick." What does that mean? I know he lives in an HIV/AIDS-affected area. Is he sick? Does he assume he'll get sick? I could be reading into things, but with sub-Saharan Africa being home to over 70% of the total world HIV-positive population (more statistics), I may not be.

Regardless of his circumstances, he seems to be a happy - and appreciative - little boy. We look forward to sharing this experience with you!

Thanksgiving Fun

Thanksgiving 2008 was fairly low-key. Here's a picture of Maddie showing us where her food is going ("in my belly"):

And here's a clip of Maddie kicking off Black Friday with a carousel ride with Grampy (Emily's dad):