If It Happens...

Here it is now! Better? :) Now, my "second" thought of the day! :)

If It Happens...

I had to remove it due to poor video quality.. I'm in the process of doing this vlog again.. So stand by... ;)

Sleeping Like Eutychus?

Here's my thought for today.. :)

Spring Deaf Retreat '08, more...

This is our speaker, Philip Box, from 'Bama!



Alyson Lowenstein getting serious with ice cream.



Brandie Young taking in a chunk of ice cream.



Kayla Cesone screamed for ice cream!



Ethan Gournaris and Solomon Forshay all smiles!



Jason Bard, pro Hooper!




Kenny Hynes with Mark Lowenstein

Spring Deaf Retreat; more...

Thanks to the Cesones for supplying these photos:



Christmas brothers?



Our wonderful speaker, Philip Box, with kids!



Cookin' up a storm!



Plain crazy!



Deaf Hulk!

Deaf Retreat '08 @ Wamava

Bonfire time with SMORES!!


DODGEBALL!!!!!
This is the game that everyone enjoyed the most!


Ring of fire (game)


Heaven's Kitchen with Steve Williams and Tim Stewart


Cario all hooped up!


Tim Stewart, Michelle Lowenstein @ Bev Young all smiles!


FLINCH game: sudden death with Cindi Cesone and Jasmine Bard; John Gournaris throwing the pong.

Spring Deaf Family Retreat '08

Wow! I'm really exhausted today! It's been a great weekend with the brothers and sisters. We're sure glad Philip Box came to share with us his heart and God's Word. We're thankful for his wife, Paige, and his two kids for allow him to come up to Virginia to be with us.

Also, we're glad the Gournaris family came flying in from Minnesota. The Gournaris used to be with us at Fairfax for a couple of years before moving on to Flordia where John worked to finish his PhD degree. Now, they're in Minnesota working in the Mental Health department. John loves his job as well as his wife and three boys! It was good having them here.

35 people were at hand for the weekend fellowship! Wamava is the place to be! We feel spiritually refreshed but physically tired. We prefer to be spiritually recharged though our physical state had been drained! :) That's the way it is! It takes physical energy to be spiritually recharged!

Thanks to all those who chipped in to make this retreat possible! We couldn't do this without any of you hard workers for the Lord!

I'll be posting pictures as soon as I get them uploaded on my computer. Stand by!

The next Deaf Family Retreat will be this Fall in October. We're hoping the Deuschles from Alaska will be with us for the Fall retreat! For those attending the retreat this fall will be in for a big treat!

God bless you, Blogreaders!

What Do I Do With The Bible?

Is it possible that we run into biblical naivety and illiteracy?

Here's a question for you:
Why is it that often (at least in my experience) the people with the best Bible knowledge are so relationally challenged?

Clue: When writing about love, the Apostle Paul mentioned how knowledge “puffs up.”

1 Corinthians 8:1b-3: "..We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God." (niv)

Colossians 2:18: "Some people enjoy acting like they are humble and love to worship angels. Those people always talk about the visions they have seen. Don't let those people say, "You don't do these things, so you are wrong." Those people are full of foolish pride because they think only the thoughts of people, {not the thoughts of God}." (erv)

(niv): "..his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions."

Here are some positive and negative aspects toward the Word of God:

Bible gluttony (knowledge becomes more important to you than love (puffed up)
Excessive Bible Ingestion
Reading the Bible as "required checklist" (without recognizing His power through the lives of the people during the Old and New Testament)
We became the Pharisees… all about “the word,” without becoming like The Word (Christ.)
Interacting with the truth
Reading the Bible like clockwork every day for an hour or more is pointless if it's not done out of a desire for relationship with God.
Reading the Bible (as if taking a vitamin supplement or aspirin) when we are feeling a little low and need a "inspire me now". It's not about the reading or the knowing. It's about the Living! That's what we need to work on.

I am not promoting biblical ignorance and I am not saying that if people find reading the Bible devotionally is meaningful that they should stop. I am just relating my experience.

It seems like I have a lot of knowledge of the Bible that needs to work itself out. (I just realized that sounds like some kind of strange constipation. "chuckle")

I also realized I need to be in community to discuss what some of these truths mean to our lives. Like we're to be the Bible people read through our influence, our love, our forgiveness/being forgiven. I am for pondering how to live what we read in the Bible rather conquer it on some superficial technical level.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 (niv)

Seven for Your Children

7 Tips for Better Relationships with Your Kids

Our kids are looking for a relationship with the Lord - something they can count on. It’s up to us as parents to show our kids what that relationship with God really looks like. The best way we can do this is to model a healthy, accepting, God-honoring relationship between them and us. Josh McDowell shared in his book, "Beyond Belief to Convictions" the seven principles for helping parents be the role of Christ to their children - and I can't agree more with these principles:

7 Tips for Building Better Relationships with Your Kids.

1. Affirmation
When we affirm our kids’ emotions, it gives them a sense of authenticity. See Romans 12:15.Sharing their joys as well as their sorrows; their successes and their failures, conveys the message that you really care and are doing your best to understand!

2. Acceptance
Your unconditional acceptance of your child provides them with a strong sense of security. See Romans 15:7. Without realizing it, too many parents send the message that acceptance is based on performance (like when we praise our kids when they get A’s in school and withhold praise(or even criticize) when they get B’s or C’s). Unfortunately, many of our own parents used shame-based parenting when we were growing up – and so we use the same kind of parenting style with our kids. If you use shame-based parenting with your kids, I want to challenge you with the truth – it simply doesn’t work!

3. Appreciation
When parents express appreciation to their kids, they communicate that their kids are significant. See Romans 1:8 – where the Apostle Paul essentially says, “I appreciate you.” Rather than taking your kids and their contributions on behalf of your family for granted, look for times to express authentic appreciation. For some, it may take work, but catching your kids in the act of doing something good – and recognizing them for it will help to build an importance sense of self-worth in their lives.

4. Availability
When parents are available to their own children, they gain a sense that they are important. Your presence in their lives is one of the most significant ways that you can communicate your love and care. I call it the “Power of Being There”! Remember, kids spell love, T-I-M-E.

5. Affection
When parents give their kids affection, it sends them the message that they are lovable. Everyone wants to feel that they are lovable! Your kids are no different. They need to know they are loved both by your words, through your actions and through appropriate touch! Dads – particularly –never underestimate the power of a well-timed hug! Bless your kids with the gift of affection!

6. Approach Their World
When parents approach their kids’ world, it tells them that what is important to them is also important to you. Sometimes, this means moving out of your own comfort zones – in order to enter their world. You may not be thrilled by watching your kids participate in a certain sport or activity. But, remember that 1 Corinthians 12 says that “love does not seek it’s own.” When you show up at your kids’ events, it sends the all-important message that they really matter!

7. Accountability
Parents must set reasonable limits and boundaries for their kids. See the discussion about the value of discipline in Hebrews 12. Consistent discipline by parents teaches kids the skills of responsibility and self-control that they need to live a successful adult life. In fact, I don’t believe that parents can be sure they are sending the message that their kids are loved without providing consistent discipline.

Not only this is helpful for all the parents in the world but it's also helpful for me and my wife as we parent our three girls. Satan is out there to destroy the livelihood of Christian families with worldly influence, hollow and deceptive philosophy of raising children!

Pray for us as we pray for all of you parents! Go and show Jesus (love) to your kids!

Personal or Impersonal

Wow! What a weekend!! While my wife, Michelle, went to the LANO (ladies') event, I took my kids and a friend to go see Amanda play softball against Herndon. The game went well. I noticed the other team had tall girls and they look like 15 years old girls playing against our 12 year olds. The storm blew by and the game was called.

Then we waited another hour for our game but it was also called due to the storms. Then the girls (all four of them) and I went on home to R-E-S-T!

The deaf worship, yesterday, was great! I concluded the lesson on our man, Habakkuk! We focused more on how we're to "wait" on the Lord. In my sermon, I gave three things that will help us understand how the Lord answers our requests and prayers:

1. He'll answer, "Yes!"
2. He'll answer, "No."
3. Or He'll say, "Wait."

We may question God and say, "God isn't answering my prayers." Well. He may have. It's either a "No" or just "wait" for His answer(s).

Change of subject... I had a wonderful lunch with our beloved members of the church at Joe's Crab Shack. Some great questions came up. Someone asked this one question,

"Why aren't deaf people committed to Jesus? Why aren't deaf people attending a deaf church? Why aren't God's children doing the Lord's will?"

I believe there are two groups of Christians living in the world today:

1. Personally Experiencing Jesus
This individual is addicted to Jesus with no plans to recover from it.
This individual live the life of Christ.
This individual portrays/influence the attitudes of Jesus.
This individual is a vessel of Christ (lifeblood flows from Him through him/her).
This individual lives sacrificially meaning he/she sets the Lord's plan above all other plans.
This individual is in love with Jesus (Bride/bridegroom).
This individual is humbly involved in the work of the Lord.

2. Impersonally Experiencing Jesus
Outsider
Unattached
Isolated
Without unity
Unsacrifical
Comes-and-goes
Lukewarm (Rev. 3:16)
Fruitless

One day, God will call each of us home. Imagine standing before His throne and He asks this one simple question,

"What did you do with My Son, Jesus?"

How would you answer His question?

Yes! He desires our answer to be as genuine and personal as possible. If you aren't personally experiencing Jesus daily, why not start now? What are you waiting for? Come and do the Lord's will, starting right now! Say a prayer. Ask Jesus to revive the fire in your hearts. Ask God to transform you into righteousness and use you for His glory! Do all this in His precious and powerful name!

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17 (niv)