Day 6 of the Feast

All is well here in Branson, MO. There are about 1500 UCG brethren in town, along with the 980 or so LCG brethren here. I think Intercontinental has a site in the vicinity as well, though I haven't seen any of them around town. We've heard sermons from Mr. Rand Millich, Davy Crockett, Karl Beyersdorfer, Rod Reynolds, and Richard Ames. My notes are spotty, so I can't rattle off the the sermonette men. The ones I remember off the top of my head are Mr. Gary Maney, Mr. Ray Clore, Mr. Turner, Mr. Wally Smith... Who am I forgetting? Noah and Nyla seem to be conspiring to keep me from listening to a complete sermon.

The crib is pretty nice too. We ended up sharing a 4-Br with some good friends from Ohio. There are 10 of us here, but it's been great. (Actually 13, if you count Mr. Frizzle, Superlion, and an as-yet-unnamed Blue Monkey that's really an ape.) I'll post some pics eventually. Some quick points:

Dixie Stampede : Much better than expected. Food was good too.
Putt-putt: I'm horrible at it.
Chateau on the Lake: Location of Bible Studies. Absolutely fabulous.
Everyone in the church from the state of Missouri is here (except Annette and Charlie).
Little Rock to Branson via 165 is a horrible drive.
Scarboroughs: There are 78 of them here and two more at another Feast site. Impressive.
Stone Hill Winery's Cream Sherry isn't bad if you like brandy.
Bible Studies: Excellent. Mr. Clore's powerpoint presentation on Jerusalem and Mr. Reynold's study on repentance and conversion were very helpful. Tomorrow morning's topic is "Then the End Shall Come". I wonder who's leading it...

On a serious note, I just found out Mr. Raymond McNair died. My prayers go out for his family. There aren't very many of the Old Guard left.

Anyway, I've got an 8:30 a.m. Bible Study to get ready for, so I guess I should go to bed now. Ciao.

FoT

Thousand Hills Resort it is.

10 Long Years...

The M.R.S. and I turned 10 today (9/26). No, not as in dog years, but as in ten years ago today we were buried in watery graves and came up as new creations, begotten children of God. I remember feeling slightly dismayed, as I was expecting to feel extraordinarily different when Mrs. Poole and Wren lifted me out of the pool (even though I was told that I wouldn’t beforehand). I can look back and see some of the changes I’ve made in many areas of my life. I can also look back and see many areas in which I’ve only grown a little. I’ve learned that God’s way is simple, but in this world it’s certainly not easy. Far too often I lean on my own understanding, and far too often I struggle with doing what’s right. Far too often I wonder what my neighbors, friends, and family think about how I’m living my life. However, it is comforting to know that for some reason unbeknownst to me, God looked down and saw something in me that He could use. Mr. Ehman gave a wonderful sermon last week on finding and using our strengths/talents that was quite uplifting, and helped me to remember that despite my shortcomings, if I just hang in there and keep on truckin’ till the end I will receive my new name and my new body, just like that great cloud of witnesses of Hebrews 11 fame. Hopefully, 10 years from now I will not still be struggling with the same problems I'm struggling with now.

Funny (to me, anyway)

One day at work the subject of church came up, and people were pretty surprised to find out I attend church on Saturdays (even though I mentioned it before). One of my co-workers mentioned that his family is trying to find a church in the area. He mentioned that he pretty much only goes to church a couple of times a year; Christmas, Easter, and before CLEMSON BOWL GAMES. I thought that was hilarious.

Some Biblical Principles of Judgment and Justice

Mr. Ray Clore gave a sermon at the last year's Feast titled “Some Biblical Principles of Judgment and Justice”. That sermon still resonates with me today, and I found myself deeply moved by the wisdom inherent in the application of the Bible to the code of law. I also recently read an essay by Stephen Chapman titled “The Prisoner’s Dilemma”which compares the application of justice as prescribed by the Koran to justice as dispensed by Western nations. The author noted that while everyone he polled thought that the Islamic punishments were cruel and barbaric, they also preferred the short duration to the giving up of years of freedom as we do here in the states. He comes to the conclusion that while our justice system allows us to feel “smugly self-congratulatory”, it is equally, if not more, barbaric. I have a friend who used to work in the penal system – he’s fully convinced that anyone who’s been in jail for 10 years or more should never be let out. He believes that they’ve become so hardened after that much time in violent, sadistic surroundings that they’re rarely able to be "normal" again. Anyway, if you get the chance to download or check this sermon out, I think it would be well worth your while. According to my notes here are the principles Mr. Clore discussed in his sermon.

1. Go to Brother first
2. Transparency – to be effective, justice must also appear to be just to all
3. “Two or three witnesses” principle to establish truth
4. Fair and impartial judges
5. Do Diligent inquiry to be certain of truth
6. Arrange for accused to face the accusers
7. Do not allow “mob justice”
8. Search for/determine motive for action
9. Use of Biblical standards to determine sin or as foundation for civil laws
10. Caution against collective punishment
11. Criminal should make amends for crime as much as possible
12. Respect the judges/rulers
13. Always consider if mercy is appropriate after a determination of guilt is made
14. Punishment must be swift to be effective
15. Punishment in public for major sins/crimes, so “all Israel will hear and fear”

FoT revisited

Looks like someone in IT let the firewall go down and I can actually post...

Looks like it's gonna be Branson, MO for the Feast this year. We've got quite a few friends attending there, most of whom we haven't seen in a while. Now how do we divvy up the time so no one gets left out? Hmmmm.... I don't know who else is on the speaking schedule, but I know we'll get to hear from Mr. Smith and Mr. Millich. As much as I'm not excited by the locale, I can't wait to hear the messages.

The M.R.S. is now a bona fide Medical Assistant in search of a job. The kids are growing like weeds. The littlest one is now 14 months old and has developed quite a personality. She's almost always happy, and I think she has a tapeworm. I mean, she eats, and she eats, and she eats some more! I don't recall any of her brothers having the appetite she has. I've got to watch her to make sure she doesn't turn into a roly-poly. Noah, is all boy, rough-and-tumble. Nicholas is going through a phase right now that he needs to emerge from real soon. Jalen is a sophomore @ one of the local high schools, and is excited about starting @ defensive tackle this year. Obviously I won't get to see him play in person much if at all, so I'm gonna see if I can get copies of the game on tape or DVD from the coaching staff. I'm still making the 40-mile commute to the job and we're looking to move once the M.R.S. finds a job. Anybody out there got some Powdersville real estate they're looking to unload?

That's about it for now. Yall take care!

Oh - Ben/Summer, we're looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

Mission Accomplished!

FoT

For what it's worth, New Braunfels is in the early lead as the Palmer site of choice. Actually, Ocho Rios is the favorite but the chances of us making it there this year are basically nil. Sunset Beach would be much more convenient though, and I think it's going to be a huge site. We'll see. Anyone else thinking of Texas?

*crickets*

May 9 '08

Well, I was gonna try and post an update, but I just found out that two someones close to me are getting married! I'll restrain myself and not call, seeing as how it's after midnight; I guess I'll get filled in next week. AV, we must do lunch one day next week. Well, since I'm here I guess I will provide a brief update.

Things are going OK for my clan. I'm 98% certain we'll be moving to Greenville this summer - $3.45 a gallon gas is making my ~80-mile round trip to work a tad expensive. One big thing that's happened is that I had my first Sabbath test @ work recently. My shift was being required to work Saturdays, but after prayer and meditation (mine and other brethren's) I sent an email to my supervisor requesting an exemption for religious reasons. I was prepared to provide a statement of beliefs, a letter from my pastor, as well as legal and Scriptural support for my position. My supervisor's supervisor, human resources, and our corporate office all eventually became involved - with most of this occurring behind the scenes without my knowledge. Finally, I was called into a meeting with the department manager, and I was informed that they would gladly work with me after ascertaining my beliefs were sincerely held. After a couple of questions, the dep. manager signed off on the exemption and actually praised my handling of the situation. Apparently, conflict resolution is a major problem at my place of employment, and all parties were glad to see that I was not at all belligerent and that I followed the chain of command for such resolution. In short, the meeting went QUITE well and I do not have to work on the Sabbath. Thanks to all who prayed about this situation.

The spring dance/weekend we had went well. It was nice to play host to brethren from other areas - some of whom came from as far as California, Calgary, and Rhode Island. I hope they all enjoyed themselves and will return if we do this next year.
Well, it's late and I need to get some sleep. I've got to get up early in the morning. Enjoy your Sabbath.

Copper River Grill

Taken 1/9/08. The four young'uns after dinner at a local eatery.

A return to civilization?

I see that AT&T has dropped its price again on internet access. They may have reeled me in this time...

Maryland v. Duke

Go MARYLAND!!!

Yes, I'm actually online (I'm supposed to be working on an assignment for an online class I'm taking). The M.R.S. and I are considering some internet options for the home; I'm tired of being cut off from civilization.

Way to let Duke back in the game, MD.

EDIT: Way to let Duke WIN the game, MD.