Here I stand!

Today in Washington D.C. a mass was led by Pope Benedict XVI during his first visit to the U.S. The pope arrived in his pope-mobile to the cheer of some 48,000 people. As I watched the footage from the mass I began to think of the scene from the Luther movie where Martin is standing before the general assembly at the Diet of Worms in Germany where he was on trial for his writings against the practices & teaching of the Pope & the Roman Catholic church. If you want to get an idea of what the Catholic church is really about check out the movie "Luther". To give you a little taste check out this video of the scene where Martin is at the Diet of Worms.

Neanderthal man speaks after 30,000 years

This story caught my attention today while I was driving. I mean come on, you've got to be kidding me.... Right?

(CNN) -- It's been 30,000 years since Neanderthals walked the earth, but now we can hear what they sounded like, according to a Florida anthropologist.
Robert McCarthy of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton reconstructed Neanderthal vocal tracts to simulate their voice with a computer synthesizer.
The result is a single syllable that sounds strange and unremarkable: part croaking frog, part burping human. But McCarthy says that's because Neanderthals lacked the "quantal vowels" modern humans use.
"They would have spoken a bit differently," McCarthy said at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in Ohio this month. "They wouldn't have been able to produce these quantal vowels that form the basis of spoken language."
New Scientist magazine discussed McCarthy's findings and linked to his vocal simulation on its Web site. Listen to Neanderthal man speak
McCarthy used 50,000-year-old fossils from France to make his reconstruction, New Scientist said. He plans to simulate an entire Neanderthal sentence, the magazine reported.
To reconstruct the vocal tracts, McCarthy teamed with linguist Phil Lieberman, who worked in the 1970s to deduce the dimensions of a Neanderthal larynx based on its skull.

"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God For it is written, "He is The One who catches the wise in their craftiness." - 1 Cor 3:19

Our modern day problem with pain

I was travling for work today on the plane I was listening to John MacArthur teach on how God uses pain in our lives. This idea of God using pain in our lives is foreign to much of our modern church culture, instead most of what we hear are prayers for relief at the onset of any pain in our lives. Going through the scriptures John showed how many of God's chosen people grew through their pain and trials. I am learning that pain will cause me to rely upon God more as it will also humble me. Unfortunately our modern church culture's focus is on blessing and prosperity all the while any pain is viewed as a curse. We would do well to familiarize ourselves with the people that God used in the bible and to see how through pain and trials He shaped and molded them for His purposes.

"And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people,' And they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'" - Zechariah 13:9

Ronnie's Radio Flyer

Little Ronnie's grandparents got him a Radio Flyer wagon for Christmas. The other day was his first ride in it outside. Marcy and I took turns giving him rides up and down the driveway, what a blast. It doesn't get any better than this!!!







What a precious little boy God has blessed us with :)

We love you Ronnie - Mommy & Daddy

This quote doesn't need any explanation...

"The pleasure of sin is soon gone, but the sting remains"
- Thomas Watson

How does a person making decisions know what is the will of God?

The will of God is not meant to be a secret we must uncover. God wants us to understand His will far more than we want to understand it. He always makes His will clear to those who seek it with an obedient heart.

Most of the real problem areas in the question of God's will are settled for us in Scripture. The Bible reveals that it is God's will for all of us to be:

Saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9)
Spirit-filled (Ephesians 5:17-18)
Sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7)
Submissive (1 Peter 2:13-15)
Suffering (Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 3:12)

If all those things are true in your life, you may do whatever you want. Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart." That means that if you are conforming to God's will in all the five ways listed above, He will place in your heart desires that reflect His will. So do what you want to do!

Why did you become a Christian?

Virginia isn't just for lovers but also for proof that The Creator does exist

I travel sometimes for work and just last week I was in Virginia. Late one afternoon I got out and took some pictures of some amazing views. To look at the mountains and landscape and not see the handywork of The Creator is truly unbelievable.








For the LORD says, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), "I am the LORD, and there is none else. -Isaiah 45:18

Ever feel as if your good works aren't enough? Well that's because they aren't...

"...If ever a monk could get to heaven through monastic discipline, I was that monk....And yet my conscience would not give me certainty, but I always doubted and said, 'You didn't do that right. You weren't contrite enough. You left that out of your confession.' The more I tried to remedy an uncertain, weak, and troubled conscience with human traditions, the more I daily found it more uncertain, weaker, and more troubled." - Martin Luther

Children are a blessing from the Lord!

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5 NASB

My wife and I have been blessed with a son, Ron DePew III. He has brought such joy to our lives. Children truly are a blessing from God. It troubles me to hear people complain about their kids. I often hear them complain about how kids cost so much to raise, or how kids are demanding of their time and how they disrupt their lives. How sad to view children in that way. Children are not an inconvenience, they are not a curse, God says that Children are a blessing! I want to encourage you to be grateful & thankful for the gift that God has given you!