my clone

lotsa lotsa love

I cannot believe it's been two years since Joni and Friends Family retreat. It's always a highlight of the summer.

What is Joni and Friends?! A wonderful ministry for the disabled and their families. The family retreats held nationwide over summer are great! Arthur says minsitry comes with time. And through this I see it so true. Seeing the kids grow and the parents persevering and rejoicing is amazing... and we get to see it. This thing can be done by many people, but the center of it is Christ. That is the biggest difference and a great difference. The families' hope lies upon Christ. And if it doesn't then we can tell them about Him! =) Excited for next week!

forgiveness (and some webcamming!)

I read this a while back but this article stayed stuck in my head:

In Pleasing People Priolo portrays the heart of forgiveness as being a promise. Here is what he says: "Forgiveness is fundamentally a promise. As God promises to not hold our sins against us, so we also must promise not to hold the sins of those we've forgiven against them." This is, of course, the foundation of the forgiveness God promises to us: that He will never hold our sins against us. On the day of judgment we know that He will not suddenly charge us with sins that have been forgiven us through the blood of Jesus. We have faith in God and trust in this promise. Without this promise our faith is hopeless. Praise God that he offers us this manner of forgiveness!

The promise of forgiveness, says Priolo, can be broken into three parts. First, you promise not to bring up the offense to the forgiven person so as to use it against him. Second, you promise not to discuss with others the sin you have forgiven. Third, you promise not to dwell on the forgiven offense but to remind yourself that you have forgiven the offender in the same way that God has forgiven you for a multitude of far greater sins. Thus when you ask forgiveness you secure these promises for yourself.

The point about not bringing up a sin I have forgiven against them made me realize that I cannot do that explicitly or in my head either. I think if not bitterness for sure would be built up. It hurts the relationship. well... just read the article! =)

Totally not related but yay for webcams!

Christine all the way from cambridge =O

doesn't she look like she's a little wacko? =P

saw junia try this. didn't really work b/c of the gap.

mustache

nathaniel ={)