Hillsong United

Emily and I had the opportunity to see Hillsong United this past Wednesday. This band from a land down under knows how to ROCK. It was quite the experience and I'm happy to see their newest album -- A_Cross // The_Earth -- made it to #2 on iTunes' Top Albums list.

They also have a great website -- I-Heart. I highly recommend checking out.

Magazi Update

It's been almost six months since my last Magazi post, so I wanted to share a recent picture of him and his family. They recently purchased the field in the background and are hoping to build a house (i.e. dirt floor, brick/block/cement walls and tin/corrugated iron roof). He sent his "report card" and appears to be doing fairly well in school. One of our favorite things he sends is his drawings. One even include stickers we sent to him!

Par-Tee!

Emily had just mentioned she wanted to see what Maddie would do with bubbles in the tub, but was afraid they would be a REQUIREMENT every time going forward.

Maddie stayed at Mi-Mi's and Bop-Bop's last night so we could have a "break" since Micah, Lord willing, will be here soon. When they brought her home this morning, they shared with us that she got to enjoy a bubble bath as a special "treat".

Mi-Mi told us Maddie was sitting in the tub with her back to her, folded her hands, bowed her head and said, "Tank-Ew Je-Ja. A-Men! Par-Tee! Mi-Mi! Bop-Bop! Par-Tee! Mi-Mi! Bop-Bop!"

This girl knows how to party, and she's thankful for it!

I'll Never Be The Same

I have NO musical talent whatsoever, but LOVE music. I'll never forget the first time I heard this song -- I was watching Passion 07 online. I felt like it was my theme song -- "'Cause I know that You're alive; You came to fix my broken life; and I'll sing to glorify; you're holy name Jesus Christ."

As I shared in my testimony; I'll never be the same.

Extravagant Worship

In an earlier post I mentioned the three anchors of Passion City Church -- The Glory of God. The Grace of God. Extravagant Worship. This month's gathering focused on Extravagant Worship.

Louie started his sermon with a video clip of Michael Jackson fans. As you can imagine, the fans were hysterical. Louie's point: We were wired for worship -- and we're really, REALLY good at it.

Worship is not an option -- WHO or WHAT you worship is. Louie defined worship as us responding to what we value most in life. You only get one lifetime of affection. Who or what is on the receiving end of it?

"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 11:36-12:1)

Florida Fun

We managed to squeeze in a trip to Florida a couple weeks ago. We thought we were pulling a "Willis" by planning it ONLY a week and a half in advance. It turned out, the Willis' were going to Florida the weekend before us and -- get this -- they planned it a DAY (or two) in advance!

Anytime you can avoid the Manatee Memorial Hospital is considered a great time. The unfortunate thing -- we're in the process of potty training Maddie. Stopping at every exit to go "be-be" added two hours to our eight hours home. The poor thing would say "Be-be! 'Gain! 'Gain!" because she was tired of being in the car.

Thanks Aunt Sue and Uncle George for letting us stay at your place! Click here for more Florida fun.

More Je-Ja!

Maddie and I were just dancing to Let God Arise. Here was the exchange after the song:

Maddie: "More"
Me: "More of what?"
Maddie: "Je-Ja!" (i.e. Jesus)

So we danced again.

Hap Mommy Day

Maddie picked out a balloon for Em for Mother's Day. I suggested one on a stick, but she wanted a "big one." When Maddie gave it to her, I managed to get her to say "Hap Mommy Day."

I want to brag on Em, but have no idea where to begin. I'm convinced being a stay-at-home mom is the HARDEST job out there -- and she does an EXCELLENT job. Thank you, Em, for taking care of us. We love you SO much!

More than Just a Clean Slate

I was listening to a Cornerstone podcast and heard something along the lines of:

Let's say you write a check. There's not enough money in your account. The check bounces. Your bank charges you a fee. Now you owe the bank. You forgot about another check you wrote. It bounces too. You're charged another fee. Now you owe the bank even more!

Let's assume someone notices your struggle to make ends meet. They pay off your debt to the bank. It's just the break you've been waiting for. Now you have a clean slate. BUT if you go to the ATM to withdraw $50, all you're going to see are goose eggs. You still don't have any money. You're still broke!

But what if someone says "Let me sell my house, my car, cash in my retirement accounts, etc. and give you everything I have." This is more than the break you've been waiting for. Not only do you have a clean slate, but that $50 is going to be there!

That's what Christ has done for us. His death on the cross has cleaned our slate and by placing our faith in Him, we have a right standing relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Do you want more than just a clean slate? Click here to learn more.