Who Skis Every Day?

Yes, there are those more obsessed with skiing than this blogger. For a glance into Colorado ski culture check this article from today's Summit Daily News.

Visiting My Alma Mater

It snowed today in Louisville, Kentucky, but not as much as shown in this nice photo of Alumni Chapel at Southern Seminary.

Today, I spent my day talking with students here. I heard great testimonies of God's saving grace and saw a lot of evidence that the Spirit of God is graciously at work among the men (and women... go Hilary!) called here to study in preparation for life and ministry.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. I get to teach an Evangelism and Church Growth class. I get to make announcements in other classes about the new internship we're starting at Christchurch. I get to talk to more students at an info table in the student center.

But what I'm most looking forward to tomorrow is worshiping God in chapel with all the professors and students. It's been nearly 5 years since I last worshiped God in Alumni Chapel (pictured above). It's a special place to me, because I heard the Word of God there and God has changed my life as a result. It's also a special place to me, because there I sang praises to God with brothers in Christ like Jim Ramsey (now an Army Chaplain in Iraq) and John Folmar (now a pastor in Dubai) and Dan Pflug (now a pastor in Michigan) and Byron Straughn (now ministering with Campus Crusade for Christ) and Monty Shanks (now finishing his Ph.D. at Southern) and others.

What follows are the words to the last song I sang in chapel here: Soldiers of Christ in Truth Arrayed, written by Basil Manly, Jr.

Soldiers of Christ, in truth arrayed,
A world in ruins needs your aid:
A world by sin destroyed and dead;
A world for which the Savior bled.

His Gospel to the lost proclaim,
Good news for all in Jesus’ Name;
Let light upon the darkness break
That sinners from their death may wake.

Morning and evening sow the seed,
God’s grace the effort shall succeed.
Seedtimes of tears have oft been found
With sheaves of joy and plenty crowned.

We meet to part, but part to meet
When earthly labors are complete,
To join in yet more blest employ,
In an eternal world of joy.

Words: Ba­sil Man­ly, Jr., cir­ca 1860; this hymn was writ­ten for the first grad­u­a­tion cer­e­mo­ny at the South­ern Sem­in­a­ry.

Music: Men­don, Ger­man tune, ar­ranged by Sam­u­el Dy­er, Sup­plement of Sam­u­el Dy­er’s Third Edi­tion of Sac­red Mu­sic, 1828

May God bless Southern Seminary and her students for many generations to come.

Skiing Pastors

Meet my pastor friend, mentor and new skiing partner, Larry Dramman. Larry serves as the senior pastor at East Boulder Baptist Church. He's a great guy who loves Jesus and loves people. We skied together today at Breckenridge in some great snow. I really enjoyed skiing with Larry. He's a great skier.

We also skied with another pastor friend of mine from Missouri, the soon-to-be-Dr. Jeremy Muniz. Jeremy serves at First Baptist Church of DeSoto, Missouri. Jeremy had a good day on the mountain today. It was his first day back on skis after many years and he looked great.

Quick Trip to St. Louis

We spent a lot of time on I-70 this week to meet Audrey. That's Audrey Addison, our newest niece and cousin, in Anna's arms. There's nothing quite like holding a newborn baby.

6 Girls on Skis

Good times were had yesterday as Anna & Sophie joined 4 of their cousins from Missouri for a ski day at Breckenridge.

Lots of laughs, lots of love, and no one got lost.

You Know It's a Great Snow Season When...

You know it's a great snow season when the coyotes in Summit County start going after small skiers. Full Story at 9NEWS.com

Another Good Sunday at Christchurch

Worshiping God at Christchurch on Sundays continues to be so good for me. Men like Robbie (musician), Randy (Bible teacher), and Dan (prayer leader) ministered well to me today as we gathered with God's people to worship Him.

But the highlight for me today was hearing from IMB missionaries Lee and Donelle Kauffman. They spoke to us about their work with the Jola-Fonyi people of Senegal, West Africa (pictured above).

Today, I am particularly thankful that Jesus has saved me from my sin, that I am allowed to pastor a brand-new church, and that my small but Spirit-filled church is growing in its commitment to the greatest cause of all - The Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray for the Jola-Fonyi people by signing up for a monthly email here.

Skiing with Anna

I got a few hours of skiing in this afternoon with Anna. She's such a great skier and we had a great time together. I'm much happier now.

What I'm Not Doing Much Lately

Not to complain, but frankly it's been a couple of weeks since I've been skiing and I'm getting ants in my pants. Here's an example of what I've not been doing much of lately. Maybe tomorrow...

They Might Be...Nerds

Check out this video of Sophie and her friends performing in a recent talent show at school.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxNLJbwqOYc

Oscars of Rock Creek

Meg and I are looking forward to February 23rd, when we will join over 100 of our neighbors at Nissi's Supper Club for "The Oscars of Rock Creek". Every couple in attendance will get an award, but what we're most looking forward to is an opportunity to dance to '80's music.

Sweet Freedom

It seems that the winds of change are blowing in every political sphere. Sweet freedom came to Rock Creek today through that most local of political powers: The Homeowner's Association.
Can you believe it? We now have a choice of replacement mailboxes.