Family time « THE AVENUE

Family time « THE AVENUE

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord enthroned on high,
He is the everlasting God who made both earth and sky.

He will not weary or grow faint. His power is measureless.
His wisdom is unsearchable, and great His faithfulness.

The weak and weary He revives when unto Him they cry.  And those who have no might He will with growing strength supply.

Though youths grow weary and may fall, though young men strive in vain.

The Lord helps those who wait for Him; their strength they shall regain.

They shall mount up with eagles' wings, unwearied they shall run.
They'll neither falter nor grow faint as they in faith walk on.

Isaiah 40, Orlando Gibbons

Miss Emma Jean

The Glory of Kings

The festschrift in honor of James B. Jordan is such good reading.  I am enjoying learning more of Jim's personal story and reading the essays which are "attempts to apply Jordan's themes and insights to various subjects" in biblical studies, liturgy, preaching, music, theology and culture.  "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; but the glory of kings to search out a matter."  and Jordan's life has certainly been dedicated to searching out what God has concealed "so we can bathe in its beauty."   Thank you Jim for your diligent studies.  We appreciate your works.

John and Emma Jean...aren't they cute!

Secular Religious Ideology Gone Mad | Godfather Politics

Secular Religious Ideology Gone Mad | Godfather Politics

RWOS Board Meeting

Buddy came in from nursery school and joined us for our Republican Women of the South Board meeting!

Pine Belt Time Line

This is the story of my family's business in Arlington, Alabama. It was fun remembering this chain of events. My father was an entrepreneur and my brother is a pretty darn good businessman!  Pine Belt Time Line: 'via Blog this'   Thanks to PineBelt, a rural area in the State of Alabama which could have easily been an "under served" area  in telecommunicaton, has not been so.

Emma Jean loves Mommy and Daddy

Bryson is 2!

Happy Birthday Mr. Bryson Monroe Douglas. What a blessing you are to your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins! It was a joyous day two years ago. We are looking forward to the birth of your little brother or sister next spring. You'll be a fine big brother for sure. May you continue to grow in stature, wisdom and faithfulness to our Lord!

Discovering Grace and Community at the Table

We had such a good sermon today, I want to share my notes.

"Eating our Way through Luke's Gospel: Discovering Grace and Community at the Table"

Text: Luke 5:27-32

Luke is filled with Jesus sharing meals with people. It is true that "a man is know by the company he keeps." Jesus is assembling a team of followers and He is picking the leftovers and the left-out to come to table fellowship with him. He is calling the outsiders. The three main characters of this text are Jesus, Levi, and the Pharisees.

Jesus is the Son of Man. Why is he called this? 1.) to serve and give His life for people, 2) to seek and save the lost, and 3) to throw a party! There were banquets everywhere Jesus went. Where the Messiah goes there is a feast. "The mountains will flow with sweet wine." Meals with Jesus are kingdom banquets. The kingdom takes shape around the table. Everywhere Jesus goes he feasts with people. In fact, he was accused (false though the charges were) of being a glutton and drunkard, but, eating and drinking were priorites for Jesus....he was a joyful Jesus and people wanted to be with him. Jesus was the perfect man and he threw himself into his community. He is a man of feasting and celebration--all of us are invited to feast and party with Him. Come as you are. Are you a really big sinner? Come as you are because Jesus is a friend of sinners.

Levi was a traitor to his people, a tax collector for Rome, a professional extortioner. Levites were the priestly tribe with a mission to represent the face of a loving God to the people. Levites were bridges. But as a tax collector he brought the tyranny of Caesar to the people. Levi not only feasted with Jesus when he was invited, he invited his "scumbag" friends to the banquet also. They all sat at the table with Jesus. You are accepted as you are---but Jesus doesn't let us stay as we are. To encounter Jesus is to be changed by Jesus. To share a place at the table with Jesus means you have been grafted into Him and have been chosen to be a part of His mission. God wants us to be like Levi and bring all sorts of people to feast with Him. Showing hospitality and friendship to others shows Jesus to others.

The Pharisees were offended by all this. They came to Jesus' party and complained about the guest list, asking, "Why are you eating with these tax collectors and sinners?" Sharing a meal together in their culture was a religious question. The pharisees practiced their righteousness by exclusion. Jesus crashes through the boundaries they had set. Jesus ate and drank with sinners.

Luke 5 tells us that Jesus answers their question with a metaphor. "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." We do not presume to come to His table trusting in our own righteousness, but resting in His great mercy. Jesus heals through feasting with the sick. Jesus only heals those who admit they are sick. He did not come for people who thought they were healthy enough as they were. There is no one too sick for Jesus....come to His table just as you are! Therefore, let us keep the feast!

Helping YaYa with the dishes!

Bryson is 18 months...

My Mother, Sisters and Brother....Arlington, Alabama

The Grand Ole Party in Alabama is in good hands!

Bill Armistead, newly elected chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey, and Governor Dr. Robert Bentley are all capable, good hearted and enthusiastic leaders. I believe the future of our children will be better under Republican leadership like they have to offer. Alabama is blessed to have these servant leaders holding office!

The Four......chpt 2

Chapter 2 begins the story of Jesus.

This is a new perspective to me. Excerpts from the book:

Granted, by the end of the first century A.D, the tensions between Jews and Romans are very high. "Rebels (robbers) rise up in Galilee and Judea on a regular basis. They are not simply robbers stealing money. They are revolutionaries trying to make life very difficult for the Roman government, so that the Romans will leave the holy land. They are Robinn Hoods or Jesse Jameses, folk heroes to many Jews. They are like the Iraqis ad Afghans who set car bombs outside American military bases trying to get the Americans to run home."

There is a storm on the horizon, and almost all the Jews are expecting something to happen.

The Four, A Survey of the Gospels by Peter Leithart

Anyone who wants to get a grasp on the meaning of "the New Covenant" should begin with this book. I'll give a few highlights:

From Chapter 1: Have you thought much about how God was working in the "intertestamental period"? Today, Christians usually refer to the period between Israel's return from exile and the beginning of Jesus' ministry as an 'intertestamental' period. Was God silent during this 500 year span of history? Was there anything important happening between Malachi and Matthew? Did God's covenant with Israel lapse between about 500 B.C. and 4 B.C.? No, "Though often ignored in studies of both the Old and New Testaments, the period between the return from exile and the coming of Jesus is a unique period of redemptive history. It has its own unique features as much as the Mosaic or Davidic periods do." Chapter 1 gives a very good overview of God's work in this intertestamental period. This was a time when God was faithfully keeping covenant with His people and preparing them for the "latter days" ".....the LORD organizes the Gentiles into the oikoumene. It's important to see that this oikoumene is part of God's plan. Gentile empires form an international "temple," housing Israel in it midst." "Nestled among the nations, Israel becomes a prophetic people, called to witness to the world." Because Israel has more contact than ever with the Gentiles, the prophets promise that during the latter days there will be a great expansion of Gentile mission. By the time Paul is traveling throughout Asia Minor, he finds synagogues everywhere he goes, which include not only Jews but Gentile God-fearers as well. The Abrahamic promise is already being fulfilled before Jesus arrives on the scene. God scatters Israel from the land because of her sins. But He turns that judgment to a blessing by using the dispersed Jews to make Him known to Gentiles. " This was happening in the "intertestamental period." Yahweh's Servant will become a light to the nations, so that salvation will reach to the ends of the earth. (Is 29:6).

The chapter continues with discussion of Nebuchadnezar's dream, Hellenism, and the progression of history from Alexander through the Romans in Judea.

Bryson loves iPad commercials

Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; it is oil upon the head. Psalm 141:5

TPC Ladies' Book and Scripture Study will be held each 2nd Tuesday evening at Cindy Douglas' house at 7 PM. Come on out and enjoy the fellowship, discussion and food. We'll be reading and discussing Respectable Sins, Confronting the Sins we Tolerate, by Jerry Bridges.

Jerry Bridges asks, "Have Christians become so preoccupied with "major" sins that we have lost sight of our need to deal with more subtle sins? Navigator author Jerry Bridges addresses the “acceptable” sins that we tend to tolerate in ourselves...." Here is a partial list of the subtle sins we'll be discussing: ungodliness, anxiety, frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, moral self-righteousness, pride of correct doctrine, pride of achievement, an independent spirit, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, irritability, anger, resentment, bitterness, enmity and hostility, grudges, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, sins of the tongue and worldliness. ugggh, this may hurt!!!! I'll try to remember Psalm 141:5!

Food for thought...Mark Horne says here's a sentence the Apostle John never wrote...do we evangelicals see it this way? For this is the love of God, that we find forgiveness in the Gospel for breaking his commandments. And his commandments are burdensome, but we have grace to help us.

1 John 5: 1-3 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the chidren of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Parenting is Preparing Them to Launch

Parenting is Preparing Them to Launch

Happy Birthday A.K.!!!

Obama's State of the Union and U.S. Foreign Policy | STRATFOR

Obama's State of the Union and U.S. Foreign Policy | STRATFOR

Cultivating Family Relationships: Is Our Faith Real?

Cultivating Family Relationships: Is Our Faith Real?