Arizona Deaf Retreat 2009 Faces!

A fun and loving group of people!! :)

Arizona Deaf Retreat 2009 (more pictures)

Arizona Zipline (Deaf Bible Retreat)

Whoooo.... :) And praise God for three new deaf souls... They're now clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:26-27)!!! :)

Arizona Baptism (Deaf Bible Retreat 2009)

Praise the Lord for three new sisters in Christ: Lakisha Kearney, Viki Beggs and Lisa Ramey! :) What a weekend! What a fellowship! Thank You, Lord! Thank You!

Amanda's baptism

We rejoice in the Lord for our daughter, Amanda, who was baptized yesterday (March 15, 2009) @ the Overland Park Church of Christ. She buried her life into His death in baptism and raised and put on Jesus (Galatians 3:26-27, Romans 6:1-4). We praise God for Amanda and her decision to follow Jesus our Lord!

Moving Weekend!

PAH! We'll be moving into an apartment this weekend after living with our in-laws for over 6 months. Many, many blessings and thanks to my dad and mom in law for their love and "we must say" patience for allowing us to stay in their humble abode until our Virginia home gets sold. Since it was sold last January, we struggled to find a single family home for rent in our kids school area. Then we decided to rent a villa for the summer since all of us (our girls, Michelle and me) will be playing softball.

We're anxious to have a place of our own. Chef Lowenstein is in the house!

Keep on praying for us and the work we do for the Lord!

2012 - Fact or Truth?

Feel free to share your thoughts about 2012.. Always learning! Let's help others understand the 2012 craze! ;)

What Is The Gospel?

I read and learned some comments from people and the meaning of the word, "gospel".. Here they are:

"I believe the word "gospel" means "good news." Maybe the question should be, "What's the good news?"

The Gospel is the truth of our "depravity" which is atoned through the death of Christ. The resurrection of Christ is our hope of eternity. It is through faith, not by our works. We can't attain it, it's a gift!

The gospel is, "The world, once whole, then broken. Jesus came, suffered, died, lives. Yahweh's creation restored. Spirit alive in us, inspite of us. Life!"

Under God's law, sin demands death. Everyone has sinned, so everyone deserves death. But the gospel is the good news that Jesus, who could not sin, died in your place, satisfying God's law.

I believe the Gospel of Christ is the "Good News" that the Kingdom of God is now available to everyone.

The gospel of Christ is 1 Corinthians 15:1,3-4.

It is the story of Christ's life and teachings. Short and simple. The Gospel is pretty simple, too!

God is Holy. Man's sin is offensive to the Holy God. Jesus gave Himself to make man right with God. [You can't start the gospel message with man. It starts with God. It ends with God.] Amen?

The Gospel is: Christ lessens God's wrath on my behalf. The Gospel demands I align with Jesus.

The Gospel is, one word, "LOVE."

The gospel is the greatest news ever.. God would rather give up his Son than give up on us.

The Gospel is Jesus Christ, His Death and His Resurrection.

I have resolved to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the atonement of my sin and to be crucified with Him to live in His strength. (Galatians 2:20)

Now, what do you think is the "gospel?"

New OPCC Deaf Website...

Check it out, Blogger gangs!!

www.acswebnetworks.com/overlandpark/deaf

The website is still under construction. This is just so that you know we finally have a website! :)

Blessings!!

A Life Coach

Most people see me as a preacher or evangelist, or minister. But I want people to see me as a follower of Jesus just like them. What I do, I want them to do:

"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1

Most preachers swim in a fishbowl with all eyes on them. Not only the preacher, also the preacher's wife. Not only the preacher's wife, also the preacher's children. Many church members see preachers as a step above the normal person.

To me, the preacher who is viewed as a normal person has an extreme advantage over the one who is viewed as the perfect spiritual leader.

Now, this doesn't apply to preachers alone but to each and every believer:

1. If you are courageous enough to expose your spiritual doubts, people around you may be more relate to you as a "real person."

2. If you carefully reveal a martial struggle (with permission from your spouse), people may be more likely to listen.

3. When you tell about certain failures, many people will feel increased bond with you.

4. If you are hurting and you express your need, your church family can be aware to pray for and minister to you.

Now, I'm not saying that all the points above will hit every heart of a believer in your life. A few people might reject you for your authentic confessions. Yet, the majority will accept, embrace and trust you as a genuine believer constantly wrestling to grow closer to Jesus!